The Curious Demigod's Family
by angelslaugh
Summary: "I don't care what it takes. I will always fight for my family." Jayla Witwicky. All of her adventures have been compiled into one long story-a story about how one young woman rose from the ashes and found a family. T for some bad language.
1. Part I: The Cube

_Before time began, there was the Cube. _

_We know not where it comes from, only that it holds the power to create worlds and fill them with life. _

_That is how our race was born. For a time, we lived in harmony. _

_But like all great power, some wanted it for good, others for evil. _

_And so began the war. _

_A war that ravaged our planet until it was consumed by death, and the Cube was lost to the far reaches of space. _

_We scattered across the galaxy, hoping to find it and rebuild our home. Searching every star, every world. _

_And just when all hope seemed lost, message of a new discovery drew us to an unknown planet called... Earth._

A message-for all creatures out there, years after Earth had accumulated all sorts of alien creatures-was sent into space. Humans had documented these phenomenal Autobots, but this message was for when the Earth had been all but lost to its original species.

_Filled with organic life, these creatures known as__** humans**__ sought power, but they knew not much more power was within their grasp. _

_This planet was the most dangerous of all planets. Not because of its mortal species, but because what it hid within it-something most of the mortal species did not know, understand, or even realize._

_This planet was home to the demigods. A race of half-human, half-__**god**__ creatures that had unnatural powers. Like Cybertron, this planet had their evils. And it had its good. Its leaders, its power-more deadly than any planet in the many galaxies-was tremendous. _

_And few were willing to save them._

_I, Optimus Prime, and a few others hold regard for this sentient species. They may have their quarrels and their discords…but can any race say that they are different? _

_If you receive this message and come to Earth in good faith, I welcome you with open arms. _

Earth, a planet that looked like a blue pinprick from Venus.

What made this planet so special?

_However, if you come to do this planet harm…_

The thousands of creatures upon this amazing planet probably wondered the same thing.

…_we will not stand idly by._

One of these creatures, a young woman, enters a room. It's filled to the brim with hundreds of other aliens from different worlds. This young woman is special, different from the rest. She was born when the world had been fighting dozens, even hundreds, of wars. Her gleaming black hair stood out from the populous, and she set a cube on the podium, and Optimus Prime's voice filled the room.

_We will protect this planet, whether or not it costs us our sparks, and if it is a must, we will fight to the last Autobot._

_I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any who are willing to listen: Earth is waiting. We are waiting._

The woman lifted her head, her brilliant blue eyes shining out as she plucked the cube from its spot, and take an old worn journal out and began to read.

She began to teach. Optimus Prime had made similar messages on the cube, along with his sparkmate -.

The woman would do that once a week, allow a message to play out. It told a story, in fractured pieces. The journal filled in missing blanks…and it also told a story. Not an entirely happy one, but one that ended more pleasantly than anyone would guess.

"My name," she said, right before she began reading, "will be given to you all at the end of the year. For now, you can call me Miss Witwicky." Then she looked down and began. "'April 28, 2007. My idiot brother didn't wake me up today…"


	2. Chapter 2

Jayla Witwicky had overslept. Again.

Her half-brother was getting a car later; but that didn't exactly mean Jayla was going to drive, even though she was older than her brother and in her final year of high school. She didn't even have her license.

_Little did she know that this would be the last time she had to go to this school._

Tranquility, Nevada wasn't too bad. It was tranquil, for lack of a better word.

Jayla missed her friends from her camp; too bad she'd sworn off going there after she'd hurt that one kid…and she didn't even really remember his name. Six years for each camps she'd gone to and left after the war with Gaea.

She collided with her brother on the way out of the school, Samuel James Witwicky babbling in apology-at least until he saw who she was.

"Jayla!" he exclaimed. "Where were you?" The redhead gave him a dark look and he almost immediately backtracked. "I mean, um, sorry for not waking you up, you had just gotten in an hour before I left."

Jayla swore under her breath. Her curse wouldn't let her sleep most nights, but the main Witwicky household had long stopped asking Jayla where she went off to-she'd get upset, just like she had when she'd been sent off to a boarding school all the way in Ireland at a cheap price.

Sam and Jayla were half siblings. It doesn't need to be said that the only thing they really shared was their shy attitude and their last name, right? Jayla's Irish accent, retained from her two years as an American exchange student made her an easy bullying target. People would go as far as leaving a bucket of green paint tilted precariously in her locker so that it spilled onto the poor girl.

Once, as she was eating the Lucky Charms cereal, a spider had appeared and-unsurprisingly to her (she'd hung out often with a girl with an understandable fear of spiders enough to pick up that fear)-she'd flipped out.

Of course, she'd gotten the spider on her and ran out of the cafeteria hearing the laughter of the rest of the people behind her, but the damage had been done. She hated Lucky Charms, the color green, and St. Patrick's Day.

She glared at her half-brother but said nothing, just slipped into the back of her stepdad's car.

~:~

Jayla unnerved Sam.

He knew it was a terrible thing to be unnerved by one's own sister, but anyone in Tranquility could say that Jayla Witwicky was an odd girl (and Sam had gotten beaten up for it, numerous times). But it was true. Jayla unnerved Sam sometimes to the point that his skin crawled when he was near her.

Of course, he always shook it off. Even now, after Jayla gave him her darkest glare. It was saved for when she was either annoyed or truly angry, but either of those weren't common. Normally Jayla was so silent you'd scream in shock if you turned and saw her sitting there next to you.

"I got an A," he said instead, hopping into the passenger seat of his dad's car. "It's an A-, but an A."

"Let me see," Ronald Witwicky requested, then nodded. "It's an A."

Sam thought he heard Jayla say something, but when he turned to look at her she was sitting there with a blank expression.

Not even her eyes-the ones that he could normally glean some kind of information out of from those around him-were expressing an emotion.

Her eyes were simply…blank.

Suppressing another shudder at his creepy half-sister, Sam turned to face the front of the car again.

~:~

Getting the art of a blank face down pat was difficult. More difficult than fighting Gaea.

Nah, not really. Actually, the hardest thing was to lock her emotions down when she couldn't let them escape like she had before…before she left camp.

If she did, people would die. And she already had one life on her hands-she didn't want another.

"Look where we are," her stepfather, Ronald Witwicky, said gleefully.

"No, Dad, no!" Sam shouted, hitting their dad's car.

"Yeah, I'm not getting you a Porsche," Ron said, chuckling at his son's behavior.

It made Jayla yearn to meet her own biological father.

Sam sulked. "That's not funny, Dad," he groaned. Ron just laughed.

Jayla suppressed a sigh. She was bored…and then she shivered. A spontaneous feeling of excitement came over the teenage girl. A smile crept across her face as she turned to the crappy dealer's entrance. A yellow car drove in by itself.

It felt…so familiar. She'd never seen this car before, but it had this…'old friend' vibe to it.

With a broad smile, she tapped her stepdad-the only one who she could actually _call_ 'Dad'-on the shoulder.

Sam, the dealer's owner (a guy named Bobby Bolivia who disgusted Jayla, but then again, most guys did, her dad and Sam not included), and Ron all looked at her with identical, quizzical expressions.

"I'll pay ten grand for the one with racing stripes," she said quickly. Bolivia smiled.

"The Fiesta? It's a beaut, but I'm not-"

"The _Camaro,_" she interrupted, amused. "Now it's nine grand."

"I'm-"

"Eight," Jayla said, still pleasantly.

Bolivia started sweating. "Look, lady-"

"Five." Her tone was steely.

"Not paying over four, actually," Ron stated, looking between Jayla and Bolivia.

Bolivia sighed in defeat.

"Fine," he said. "Four grand. Come on, kid, let's get your keys."

Sam stared at Jayla with undisguised shock. Jayla smugly smiled at him.

That yellow car, after all, was the nicest car on the entire lot.

~:~

She got in the car, in the passenger seat. Sam was still talking to their family, and she'd decided to check it out.

She sensed…something.

Not fire, but…life.

All life had a certain fire to it, but it wasn't a type of fire she could manipulate. It was more of just…_sensing_ the fire, because it was different to each person.

"You're alive," she murmured. "I can feel your life source."

The seat seemed to shiver.

Jayla grinned happily.

"I'm so glad you came into this car lot," she said in the happiest tone she could muster at the moment. "You're freaking _awesome."_


	3. Chapter 3

"Jayla, thank you for the car!" Sam shouted, hugging the girl with all his might.

Taken aback, Jayla could only blink as her half-brother hugged her to death.

"Sam...please get off of me."

Sam released her.

"I don't know how you did it, but I'm thankful," Sam said, sounding like a teenage girl getting proposed to.

Jayla just smiled mysteriously. "I only used a bargaining chip. It was money or nothing."

She wouldn't tell him she'd saved a girl from getting eaten once by bargaining with the _empousai _(vampire lady made with mismatched legs) trying to eat her with a lot of drachma. Bribing, bargaining...Jayla knew how to do that. She knew how to do a lot of under-the-counter stuff.

She preferred not to, though. She liked being honest.

"Come on, let's go pick up Miles. Jayla, you might have to set off a sleeping bomb like you did last time."

Jayla sighed. "I already set it for if we aren't back at eleven-thirty it'll set of and send them to sleep for ten hours exactly." _I'll make sure we get home by eleven fifteen. Mom'll ground me again if it goes off._

"Good," Sam breathed.

"We can't be late, Sam," Jayla dryly said. "Not only would Mom kill you, she'd also kill_ me._ And I would rather not die. Not today, or tonight."

"Come on, Jayla, lighten up!" Sam chuckled. Jayla merely raised an eyebrow. "You have no humor in your body!"

Jayla sighed. "My humor seemed to have dried up when I lived in Ireland, Sam. Let's go." Sam seemed to sober at that reminder.

Jayla walked out to the car.

~:~

They picked Miles up and started the drive to the lake. Jayla preferred not to be in large crowds. A preference that seemed obsolete to her best friend-Andromeda Skye Ariadne Jackson-'s preference, as Skye loved to be the center of attention.

Maybe because Jayla was crazy because she had two wolves in her mind. One she'd suppressed, the other she had been unable to, but she'd been quiet. Reserved. It scared her a little.

She was technically called a werewolf, but asked those around her not to say that or else her wolf would come out and correct them.

According to her wolf, she was a symbiont...and Jayla had no idea what a symbiont was. At least Jayla had control over her in the daylight.

Absently scratching her left arm, where a flaming hammer was burned into her arm and twelve lines also burned into her arm under the hammer lay. She remembered the six years of service, and six times she'd helped the Roman camp.

She didn't think of her father in _Roman _or _Greek_ terms; instead, she thought of her father as just that-her father.

It didn't matter to her that she was still involved because she helped both the Amazons, a line for each of her personal accomplishments tattooed the whole way around on her right arm, a few inches below her shoulder. Three lines in total, a straight line connecting all of them. The three she counted, anyway, were three lives she'd saved. Three accomplishments she was able to finish, when she'd been aiming for only one.

Six beads, commemorating her time in Camp Half-Blood, rested on her neck. After her friend Will left Camp there wasn't much left, not even her friend Meda could keep her there.

And when she'd joined Gaea's army, completely on accident...

Jayla closed her eyes, shoving the memories away almost viciously.

_Those memories should stay buried._


	4. Chapter 4

The lake was a bad idea. A _really _bad idea.

Trent was there. Jayla didn't like him-he made her inner wolf growl in hatred.

She was reluctant to admit that she had little control over Nightwalker. Her other wolf, Nightshadow, was easier to manage, even though Jayla had a feeling her second wolf was coocoo for coconuts, if anyone caught her drift.

"Jayla," Sam said, a hopeful grin on his face. "Please get out?"

Jayla grumbled, under her breath, "I wish I got paid for this." She opened the door, regretting the tight clothes she wore.

There were several wolf whistles, and Jayla cursed her fate as a redhead that made her redden so quickly.

"Hey, babe, do I know you?" one called out. Jayla ignored them and looked at her fingernails as her brother and his idiot best friend did something stupid (which wasn't that unusual). She waited until Trent was a few feet away before she glanced up and blinked 'innocently'.

"Uh…hello," she whispered, acting shy. Trent came even closer.

"What's your name, baby?" he asked her, leaning carefully against Sam's crappy, alien-ish car. It seemed to pull to her curiosity.

"I, uh, can't give my name to strangers," she said, looking at Trent through her lashes, though her body was slightly tense.

"I'm Trent, Trent-"

"Trent!" A voice that had always made Nightwalker retreat for some reason. "Why are you trying to seduce an adult? She could get in trouble for that!"

Trent laughed. "Aw, babe, she's so shy it's unreal!"

Jayla had had enough. She curled her arm around Trent's neck and held him in a very standard choke hold, taught to all in Camp (both Jupiter and Half-Blood). Silence descended.

"You mess with me or my brother, and I'm not the only one you'll have to worry about, Trent dear," she mocked him. "Don't pretend you don't know who I am. Don't mess with Sam. And do not try to get an adult to sleep with you and then sue her- it's wrong. If you don't follow my terms…" Jayla allowed herself to trail off. Then she released him, and smiled chillingly at him.

"Come on, sis," Sam said after a moment. "This party blows."

Trent left as well. "I know of a better party!"

Jayla got into the car, still having that feeling that it wasn't what met the eye.

~:~

"I'm going to drive her home," Sam announced when Mikaela Banes-Trent's lovely girlfriend-start walking away. Miles scoffed.

"Seriously, bro?" he questioned him, raising an eyebrow.

Sam glared at Miles. "She lives ten miles from here, okay? You live like three."

Miles threw up his hands. "Come on, bro! She's an evil jock concubine. Let her hitchhike!"

"She's an evil jock concubine, she won't hitchhike," Jayla muttered, flipping to the next page of her Latin book. Miles threw her a dark look.

"Let her hitchhike?" Sam demanded, glaring at Miles. "Seriously? She lives _ten _miles away, Miles!"

Miles sighed. "So let's put her in the back."

Sam scoffed. "Did you really just say 'put her in the back'?"

Miles spread his arms helplessly. "I called shotgun!" he protested.

"Miles, I need you to get out of my car."

"You can't just kick me out!" Miles cried.

"What rules?" Sam demanded.

"Uh…" It was clear Miles hadn't really thought about it. "Bros before-"

Jayla had a very fake violent coughing fit when he was saying the last word. Both Sam and Miles stared at her for a brief second.

"Air went down wrong," she lied. She went back to reading.

"Miles, get out of my car now."

Miles went to leave through the window, by Jayla's hand on his wrist stopped him.

"You go through the window, I punch your face."

Her expression made it clear that she wasn't kidding.

Miles gulped and Jayla let go as his hand moved to the door and opened it.

She went back to her book, not caring about Sam and Mikaela's conversations, the car 'breaking down', and the ride, but when she felt an oddly familiar pain, she shut her book.

"Sam, I need to get out."

Sam and Mikaela let out very non-distinguished yelps.

"Okay," Sam managed to gasp out. He pulled over and let her out. "What should I tell Mom? And what about the sleeping-"

"Don't worry about it. Just tell Mom I'm going for my midnight stroll."

She ran out into the woods, and nobody heard the resulting cracks as Jayla changed into her wolf.


	5. Chapter 5

Nightwalker loped to the goddess of the hunt.

"Nightwalker. You have arrived."

Nightwalker dipped her muzzle.

_My lady, I live to serve._

Artemis rubbed the wolf's head affectionately. "Today all I request is that you help us hunt a low-level monster. Since the wars ended, the old monsters have not stirred. Much."

_Whatever you wish._ Nightwalker prowled about the camp, growling at the other wolves who got too close. She found the scent of the monster and howled, the hunt beginning.

~:~

Dirt clung to Jayla's clothes as she walked from the area Nightwalker had fallen asleep in.

"Why couldn't she have fallen asleep in a park closer to my house?" Jayla grumbled. "I'm never going to get all this dirt off, and my legs hurt!"

She stopped to rest, only to hear a bunch of dogs running closer.

"SHUT UP!"

She heard a whimper, then Sam came crashing into her from out of nowhere.

"Sister-there was this really huge alien that transformed from my car and it's using a kind of bat signal and then the dogs were chasing me and then you yelled and they stopped!"

Sam was _definitely _flipping out.

"Sam…shut up." He shut up. "I really don't think, first of all, that the car was sending some sort of bat signal, because that's not real and we'd be hearing helicopters right about now." Cue the silence. "Let's just take a minute, calm down, and think."

"Jayla, I wouldn't lie about this," he whined.

Jayla refrained from rolling her eyes. Barely. "Okay, whatever. Right now let's just stop and think."

"You said that already."

Jayla bit her tongue to stop herself from making a nasty comment.

"Let's get home, then, and we can think about this logically."

"Logically? Logically-Jayla, there is _nothing__** logical**_ about this at all!"

"Don't scream, you sound like a girl."

"Yeah? Well, you-" Sam floundered as he walked by her side, unable to come up with any good comeback. "You _are _a girl!"

"Thank the gods for that," Jayla answered as a police car came out of nowhere. "Women mature faster than men, as is proven by you and I."

The sixteen-year-old glared at the nineteen-year-old.

"Hands and heads on the hood!" the police officer barked.

~:~

"You called the cops?" Jayla asked Sam. He nodded, his eyes wide.

"My car got stolen, Jayla!"

"Or you dreamed it up because you are one psychotic idiot," she suggested under her breath. The officer who'd arrested them and put them in the drunk tank appeared.

"Miss Witwicky, you're being released."

Jayla smirked. She stood up and slipped out, then face the people in the drunk tank with a dark glare in her eyes.

"If I hear you laid a hand on my brother…" she warned.

Everyone in the general vicinity of Sam scooted as far away as they could.

~:~

She opened one of her latest inventions and pressed 6 multiple times. Her friend had an odd sense of humor.

"You've reached a real-voice decoy of AJ. Please don't leave a message." No beep occurred.

"Meda, please don't screw with me. It's me, Jayla."

"Oh, hey, J. What's up?"

"Nothing much. You?"

"Well, I'm currently trying to evade police. Thanks to your dad, I was able to get you out of jail."

"Ooh, sounds terrible. What did you do? And which one?"

"Eh, killed a monster in Central Park and everyone thinks I'm a rabid dog killer. I'll use the Mist once I'm safe. Your godly father, stupid. I have to go."

"Oh. I hate monsters. I hate Hephaestus, too. Bye."

"So do I. Don't hate him forever. Bye."

The dial tone sounded.

Jayla shook her head as she dialed her home phone.

"Hey, Dad, it's me, Jayla. Sam kind of got us both arrested, but a friend got me out." Jayla nodded to her stepfather's exclamation about Sam's stupidity. "Yeah, I think he's taken drugs. And there were these thugs in the drunk tank, I think they might want to hurt Sam."

When her dad hung up, Jayla smirked.

She may not have a good sense of humor, but hey. She had a dark streak in her that was satisfied.

Jayla walked away from the station.

~:~

Jayla darted across the street, cars honking at her as she ran to catch up with her brother. Being a half-blood used to outrunning monsters and being a wolf half the time meant she had almost limitless stamina.

But she'd never had to run as fast as Sam was pedaling away.

Mikaela, one of the sophomores and in Sam's class, called her name.

"Jayla! I just saw Sam with a bike. You following him?"

Jayla couldn't speak yet. Her lungs felt raw.

"Yes," she managed to gasp. Mikaela's friends and Mikaela herself looked at Jayla closer. She was sweaty, shaky, and looked as white as a sheet.

"Jayla…are you okay?"

Jayla shook her head as she straightened up. "Not…really," she answered painfully.

Mikaela grabbed her keys and her helmet. "Here, I'll give you a ride."

Jayla was surprised.

Jayla may have graduated from Ireland's private academy, but she'd had to enroll in a public school for it to count for at least two years. This was her last year and she was skipping just to chase her brother down while trying to run from a possessed car that had literally just vanished.

"Here's my helmet," Mikaela said, but Jayla shook her head.

"Trust…me, I…don't need…it."

Mikaela shrugged and got on the bike, Jayla right behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

"He's heading towards the warehouses," Jayla yelled at Mikaela. "Turn left…here!"

"How do you know that?!" Mikaela yelled, but turned anyway.

"I implanted a tracking device on his phone!" Jayla yelled back.

"Does he know?!"

"Turn right! No he doesn't!"

~:~

Sam crashed into them, making Mikaela's bike fall to the ground.

"Sam, what's going on?!" Jayla yelled.

Sam stared at her wildly. "Psycho aliens erupting from cars!"

Jayla frowned.

"No time to explain! Police car is bad!"

Mikaela sighed. "You are crazy."

Suddenly, the Camaro came out of nowhere.

The doors swung open.

Jayla took a deep breath as Sam went to get in the car-

-and everything went still. Literally.

Jayla turned and saw her.

Hecate.

"Lady Hecate," she said, bowing her head.

Hecate smiled.

"You've arrived at a Key Point."

Jayla's confusion must have showed on her face.

"A Key Point is something which changes your life. Like it or not, Jayla Leia Witwicky, your path will be eternally changed from this point on." Hecate waved her hands. Doors appeared.

All four showed her walking away from the car.

"You're at a crossroads, my dear. Many Catalysts are famed for their choices, whether or not they choose the right one. You might fall in with the wrong sort again. Or you might change the world, set the building blocks for a new era." Hecate's eyes held Jayla there. The doors did not change. "Whatever direction you walk away in, is your choice. Walking away is inevitable-you've been running all your life. Why stop now?" Hecate began to circle Jayla. "I appear to the Catalysts who try to run away from their destiny, point them in a direction." Hecate leaned down to whisper in Jayla's ear.

"_Choose."_

Time restarted. Jayla looked around. Sam started talking, asking Mikaela if she was going to get in the car.

Jayla didn't want to. Her wolves urged her to-and that scared her.

But hey. When it came down to it, Jayla wasn't going to let the Goddess of Magic tell her what to do.

So she chose.

She slipped into the car, smirking all the while.

She was going to stop running from the past.

~:~

Of course the robots had to be enemies. Jayla was running on adrenaline, on fumes. Her wolves clawed at her.

She yelped after the smaller evil robot had been taken care of, causing everyone to look at her.

A rib cracked, causing her to wince.

"Jayla! Are you-"

"Go!" Jayla growled. Nightwalker fought her, clawing to get to the top.

~:~

Sam didn't know what to do. Jayla was screaming, hurting. She sounded like she was dying. Something cracked.

Then Jayla shouted at them to go.

When Sam edged closer, her head had snapped up. He'd recoiled.

Electric-green eyes stared at him, unfamiliar. Then another crack, and pain flashed upon his sister's face.

A few (lot) more cracks and they were staring at a wolf who laid on her belly.

"Jayla?" Mikaela asked tentatively.

The wolf rolled on her back.

Then it seemed to get tired when Mikaela and Sam and the giant alien didn't do anything. It huffed and rolled on its feet.

Those electric green eyes regarded the three with curious eyes.

Then the wolf yipped, and the alien's…eyes? widened in shock. The wolf seemed to grin.

Then the alien shifted.

"Anymore questions you wanna ask?" the radio asked.

The wolf didn't get in.

The wolf yipped something, the alien replied in buzzes and blips.

The wolf inclined her head, then trotted off.

"What was that?"

"More than meets the eye," the car replied.

Mikaela shrugged when Sam looked at her with curiosity.

~:~

Powerful muscles bounded towards an alley. Nobody was there yet, so the wolf waited patiently.

Then the car came with others behind it. Nightwalker trotted to Mikaela and brushed against her.

When the black truck asked if he should get rid of the wolf, the wolf made a wolfish smile.

_I highly doubt you'd want to kill one of your __**own,**_ she growled. The reactions of them were priceless.

"Who are you?"

Nightwalker turned towards the Prime.

_One who is stuck in this form until the sun rises,_ she replied. _Forgive me for my attitude, I haven't been alive long._

"What's she saying?" Sam asked, the only one out of the loop.

"She's one of them," Mikaela answered.

"What?" Sam asked.

_Stupid organic. I can't believe you don't remember me, Prime!_

The tallest of the Autobots stared at her.

The wolf lowered her head and shook it side to side. _Terrible. It's not like my mistress __**died **__for the Autobots or anything._

"Many gave their sparks," Ratchet, the medic, said.

_And yet, my mistress was killed by a bounty hunter and Megatron working together._ Awareness seemed to dawn around the circle. _Continue, though. Tell this stupid organic about his duty to this planet. We'll talk later._

She glanced at Mikaela as she slipped out of the circle, snapping at the servo that went to grab at her.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Seriously, you're an idiot if you think I'm part of them**__,_ Jayla scoffed to her wolf. It was daytime-and Jayla was finally walking up to her house.

_Don't call me an idiot. I know what I'm talking about. You may not remember, but we were once part of them._

_**I still don't-**_

Jayla stopped on the sidewalk to her house. It was…_trashed._

"Excuse me." A van rolled up beside her, black, with tinted windows. Jayla immediately felt Nightwalker's fear.

_They have the stench of Bumblebee on them! Something's wrong!_

_**Bumblebee?!**_

_Surrender to me,_ Nightwalker ordered as the man exited his vehicle.

"Are you Jayla Witwicky?"

Jayla recalled her doors. She'd gotten inside the car. Not running away.

She decided to do the worst thing she'd ever done.

_**Don't you dare lead me astray.**_

With that thought, Jayla began to run, as she found it easier to change.

And then she wasn't _Jayla _anymore.

~:~

Nightwalker ran on her master's two legs, sliding into the nearest alley and shifting quickly, the smoothest transition she'd ever had.

Running as fast as she could, she raced to the alley and found the Prime's scent.

_I'm coming, Prime,_ she thought, tearing through Nevada, leaping and swimming. _There is no way you'll make me sit this one out._

~:~

She made it to the base, following the Prime's scent and running almost mechanically, not slowing down until she got there.

And that's when she got the worst scent she could have ever gotten.

_He's here! He's coming out of stasis!_

Alarms rang through the base, tourists being rushed away. She saw Bumblebee racing out, door opening, and she leapt into the car.

Sam screamed, the girl.

Mikaela was calmer, only briefly yelping before settling down.

"Jayla?" she asked tentatively.

_I'd say 'yes', but I'm not actually 'Jayla',_ Nightwalker informed her. _The name is Nightwalker. There is another wolf, but she's probably insane by now._

Mikaela winced. "I'm sorry."

_I said 'probably'. Bumblebee, where is the Prime?_

Bumblebee beeped out a reply.

_Ah, I'm glad he's en route. Mikaela, I'll have to-_

Nightwalker stared at the Cube. Then, unexpectedly, she lunged at it, biting it.

Electricity stung the wolf.

"Why did you just bite the Cube?!" Sam yelled, yanking it from the wolf's teeth.

The wolf could feel the changes. Certainly, she'd be able to change back into Jayla, and into her flesh-form, but she was turning into the wolf-bot-symbiont she had been on Cybertron.

_Because,_ the wolf said with a distinctly wolfish grin, _the only way I come out of this __**alive**__ and very happy is if I get my _au natural _form back._

Mikaela snorted.

"What did she say?" Sam hissed.

"The only way she gets out of this alive is if she gets her _au natural _form back," Mikaela said with a straight face.

"Is this a time for makeup jokes?" Sam yelled.

This time, when Nightwalker looked at Mikaela, she saw the same horrified shock in Mikaela's eyes that she knew was in her own organic form's eyes.

"I'm more disturbed that you knew it was a makeup joke," Mikaela informed him.

There was no more jokes after that, because they'd reached the-as of yet-untouched Mission City.

Nightwalker shuddered when she got out of Bumblebee-she was going to hurry her transition now, and it was going to be painful.

She loped off towards an alley.

~:~

The fight had begun. It seemed hopeless from the start.

Then, when the Prime was certain that Blackout would kill Lennox, a blurred silver shape leapt out of the shadows, snarling. Blackout's helm was torn off.

Acidic green optics glowered at him.

"_Hello, old friend,"_ Nightwalker greeted, her metal body gleaming.

"Hello, Nightwalker," he greeted. He could not help but wonder if his processor had stopped working properly and that's why he was seeing a familiar shape.

"_Stop thinking so hard,"_ chastised the wolf-bot-symbiont. _"You know Shadowdusk wouldn't be too happy if you were to doubt that she couldn't return."_ Amusement was in the wolf-symbiont's tone. Apparently her vocal processors worked fine.

"You died, along with Chromelight, Shadowdusk, and Nightshadow." It was simply a statement.

"_I did."_ Nightwalker's optics gleamed. _"But each spark is recycled. You know this as well as anybot, Orion Pax."_

And the humans didn't know that name.

"Shall we fight, then?" he questioned her.

The wolf-bot-symbiont's sharp teeth showed in the semblance of what was called a _smile._

"_By the AllSpark," _she said, snorting a little at the irony, _"I would love to, Prime."_

And, with a feral roar that made the entire city hush for a minute, she sprang into the throes of battle with gusto.

Optimus watched with knowing optics. It had been Nightshadow who had preferred to be in the company of peace rather than war. Seldom would the younger wolf-symbiont get truly involved like her master and sister. He drew his Energon sword. He would fight with her.

Even if she was just a symbiont.

~:~

Nightwalker growled as she saw _him_ about to kill Jazz.

Roaring, she got the Decepticon leader's attention.

He threw Jazz to the side, waiting for her to get onto the top of the building.

Nightwalker grinned. _"Hello…__**Megatron**__."_


	8. Chapter 8

Jayla scowled as she threw her things into a suitcase. She was leaving her mom, Ron, Sam, and her home in Tranquility because some stupid robot decided to end the world, which she was not happy about.

Not at all. Her 'guardian' was Ratchet, the medic of NEST, which was the new acronym for some random place they-the people of NEST-claimed as a base.

So, no, she wasn't happy. She finished packing up her clothes, tossed her Celestial Bronze plated cell phone, laptop, laptop charger (no questions to how she got the charger plated. Lots of explosions, swears, money, and blood), cell phone charger, and her celestial bronze weapons were tossed in there. She quickly and carefully wrapped her cell phone and laptop in a few layers of clothes, then put them back in there.

Surveying her sparsely decorated room, she took down the picture of a nice forest she'd bought of eBay (yeah, she knew her brother had been selling the damn glasses, but since Archibald Witwicky was NOT her grandfather, she hadn't cared too much), and grabbed her Ancient Greek and Latin copies of _The Odyssey, The Iliad, _and _Latin-Greek-English _dictionary (dyslexia was a problem she'd been working on. That or an automatic translator)_._ Then she took her stash of drachmas and stuffed them into the overflowing suitcase as well.

She took another glance around and spotted a package sitting on her bed.

She looked at it and snorted, unable to help herself.

_Jayla, _

_A little birdie told me you were moving :( Hope you'll find this useful._

_Leo_

Leo-her spazzy half-brother on the godly side of things-was also a fire user.

Jayla opened the package and her eyebrows shot up.

Another note was on the inside.

_J, _

_It's not just a simple duffel bag. It's something I had to ask Lou Ellen to spell for me, as, you know, she's head of Hecate's cabin. Weapons go in the biggest pocket, and, knowing you, you'd have a bunch of them. Drachmas go into the smallest pocket along with any of your lovely inventions, clothes obviously go in the huge middle part, and books go with inventions and drachmas. It's simple, easy, and it only cost me fifty-two denarii. Use it wisely, my not-so-young-and-definitely-a-little-older-than-me Padawan._

_AASJ_

She couldn't help a smile. Her smile melted when she realized, with dismay, that she'd probably have to leave her picture here.

~:~

It fit inside the duffel bag with her weapons, surprisingly. Will and Epps had looked at her with shock when she only came out with a duffel bag.

"Girl, we have got to get you more clothes," Mikaela proclaimed.

"You're coming?"

"Only for a little while," the younger teenager replied. "Thanks to NEST, Sam and I passed with flying colors. Trent, though," mock sadness appeared on her face, "got expelled for improper code of conduct. And because he hit on the very married new principal."

Jayla snickered. "Serves him right."

_What's so funny?_

_**Leave me alone!**_

_Not until you're dead. What's so funny?_

Jayla pushed Nightwalker down.

She refused to let her take a place in her life.

With a small chill down her spine, she heard Nightwalker chuckle darkly.

_You may not have a choice, Jayla Witwicky._


	9. Part II: The Matrix

_Welcome to the second part! This part will be MUCH longer than the first one, as it will encompass the two years between the movies...I'm not sure about the length. However, you will see Sunshine Riley Archen, who is in 'The Sun and the Bee'._

_~angelslaugh_

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Jayla yelled at the demigod soldier in front of her. "Just because you were a hotshot, Allen, at CHB, does NOT give you a freebie here. Give me twenty!"

Allen scowled.

Jayla had been doing this for a month, and she had earned her dogtags and placed them on her beaded necklace while her combat attire was like the men's-tightly fitted long sleeved shirt which was camoflauged, and camo pants. Black combat boots (with stylish Celestial Bronze heels that were painted over) went up the just below her knee, since she'd designed and made her costume. She'd made the boots stylish heels that had detachable bottoms; Epps had freaked when he saw her uniform, seeing as all of it had flexible Celestial Bronze embedded in the uniform.

She was now a Lieutenant, as she had proved her worth against a Pretender 'Con that had infiltrated the military base by shooting it with a training gun that had sabot rounds in it. It'd been fun for her, since she hadn't had a lot to do since she'd started living here. And the many other mechs of the base had been worried about something else lately-more Autobots arrived, though less now that the message inviting them to Earth had been sent out.

But her uniform also had other gadgets that Epps had picked up from Camp Half-Blood along with some new recruits.

Jayla had weapons everywhere-in her boots, in her shirt...she even made an undershirt that was bulletproofed, and now it was distributed to all of NEST operations, though they still had to wear the bulletproof vests for extra protection on missions, and even on the base because of Autobots and their proclivity for shooting things.

Allen was a son of Apollo that Epps had brought back because of his huge ego. Apparently Chiron wanted him to learn a lesson by sending him to an ultra-secret facility where egotistical afts actually reigned, though they were mostly the bureaucrats that came on a daily basis.

Now Jayla had to make this idiot's ego decrease somehow, or he'd have to learn politics instead. It was a running bet among the demigods to see if Allen would eventually start hanging out with the soldiers instead of staying holed up in his room, doing Hades only knew what.

Allen reluctantly lowered himself, dropping quickly and giving her twenty. He didn't seem to like Jayla all that much.

"Keep it up," Jayla drawled, exiting the room, but then stealing out of sight.

She opened the door a crack and placed an innocent bolt there (though it was actually a door stopper/bug Jayla, Epps, Will, and Figg-another one of Jayla's old Camp friends-had made together. Figg helped with finding the parts and the 'bug' part. Will had really just kept her company, and Epps had tinkered here and there with it), and Allen stood up.

Allen's communicator beeped, meaning someone in NEST base was calling him.

The thing was, Allen shouldn't even have a communicator.

~:~

Alex, son of Ares, called Allen after Allen pressed a button, telling him to call.

"So, who do you think it is?" Alex questioned.

"No idea, all she told me was to call her Jay. Just Jay." Allen sounded frustrated.

"Hmm, you alone?" Alex questioned.

"Duh, Hephaestus wants us to find his first daughter, and we haven't even found her yet!"

"Have you contacted Isa?"

"Isa doesn't know where- " The communicator went silent.

Alex frowned. "Allen?"

Silence.

Then, "If you want your friend alive, then surrender."

Alex froze, then turned around as the lights in the storage room came on. Several soldiers stood there, aiming their weapons at him.

"Holy Hades," he said, when he noticed Robert.

~:~

Isa hesitantly walked forward, then her communication device beeped quietly.

The daughter of Iris opened the channel, noting that it was Alex's channel.

"Yeah, Alex?" she hissed in the dark. "I thought you were going to call me twenty minutes ago!"

"If you want Alex alive, you will surrender to Will," came a familiar, but unidentifiable voice.

Then silence.

Lights turned on and a familiar face loomed in front of her, his celestial Bronze bow inches from his face.

"William Lennox?" she asked in surprise.

~:~

Jayla marched forward, glaring at Alex, and then she roundhouse kicked him in the chest.

"What does my father want me for?" she asked, her eyes slitting. Her eyes turned acid green. She was pissed. No sugarcoating.

Alex paled. He recognized those eyes.

"Relax, I don't know!" Alex yelled, then flinched when she touched his face.

"They...the scars faded?" She was referring to before the war, when she'd scratched his face up in her wolf form.

"Yeah, don't know what from."

He continued to scowl at her and she returned the favor.

"Let me just say this," she stated, and he suppressed a groan. He really didn't want to listen to her. "You can tell the gods to shove their crap about wanting to see me up their-"

Will cleared his throat. He entered, shoving the daughter of Iris in. Allen was obviously scared.

"How about we keep it clean," Will suggested lightly. Jayla gave him a dark look.

"Fine. Tell my dad that if he want to see me, he comes here because I'm too busy to go to them, got it?" she asked, more like hissed. "And you better not tell anyone about me being here other than Chiron, or your face being scarred isn't the only thing you'll have to worry about."

Alex, Allen, and Isa paled.

"Now, Drake, take these two and get them on a boat or something. I don't want them here," she flatly ordered to another soldier, who was presumably a demigod. Alex suspected that there were a lot more demigods here than not.

"What about-"

"No, we are not keeping Allen! For Primus' sake, they are not fit to be soldiers!" she snapped.

Suddenly, the light in the storage room turned to HIGH and Jayla turned, and was met with an angry mech.

"And just what do you think you are doing?" Ratchet demanded.


	10. Chapter 10

Jayla glared at the irate medical mech.

"Taking care of family business," Jayla spat venomously as Alex, Allen, and Isa were led out into the dead of night.

"Family? I thought Sam-" Ratchet started, then Jayla turned toward him, anger on her on her face, an anger that seemed old. As if it were always with her.

"You wouldn't understand."

~:~

Ratchet stared at the femme as she stormed away. She was right, he did not understand.

He knew one thing about her, though.

Whoever had visited this femme must have opened old wounds, and whatever wounds had been opened would cause a lot more problems than could have been intended.

~:~

"Jayla, we aren't going to be able to hide everything forever," Will pointed out, his heart tugging as he stared at Jayla, knowing she was pained. He also knew his heart was tugging because somewhere inside himself he was still in love with this woman.

"No? I can sure as Hades try," Jay snarled.

Will frowned. He'd never seen her this angry or upset.

"_Jayla, why are you acting like this? You act as if that Alex kid did something to you! And with all of the Camp recruits coming, you are even harder on them than the normal mortals_," he said, slipping into Greek.

"_I have my reasons, Will. I do not wish to share them with you."_

_"Don't shut me out, Jayla. What happened?!" _

Jayla turned toward him.

_"I nearly killed a camper. Not Alex. At the Battle of the Labyrinth. Actually, I did kill him, though most people though it was from a hellhound wound. But...Nightshadow killed him. He was...he was a Hermes kid, and I...I killed him, Will, and I didn't mean to!"_

Will frowned.

_"If it was an accident, then why are you angry?"_

_"I'm angry because I don't want anyone to find out about...about...about Ireland. If I falter, they'll figure out it was ME who screwed things up, Will! Danu should have killed me!"_

_"But she didn't."_

_"She should have! She should have done everything in her power to make my death a nasty, painful one!"_

Will scoffed.

_"Why would she do that? Why? Why would she kill an innocent girl? Hmm? Why would she kill a nine, nearly ten year old Greek demigod who had been on an airplane, stuffed in my suitcase? Why would Danu kill you when you were so new to the world of the gods?"_

_"Because, Will, I'm a Legacy. My mother is her great-grandchild. I'm Hephaestus' daughter-the first. I'm the oldest. I should know-"_

_"No. You were TEN. How were you supposed to know that demigods trespassing in Ireland would be punished by Danu? She didn't curse the group because you promised her ten days of labor for her."_

_"She cursed him because I didn't want to stay with her for a thousand years, not because of a warning. It's my fault! I asked her to curse the new demigod when it should have been ME!"_

_"No. You may have asked for one of the team to be cursed, but you didn't know it would be him, okay?"_

_"THAT'S NOT WHY I FEEL GUILTY! THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS, BUT NOT THE ONLY ONE!" _ Jayla screamed at him in Ancient Greek, making Epps come over to her.

"_Then why?" _Will asked softly.

Tears spilled over her eyes.

"He was my half-brother, Will. That's why."

With that, she stalked away.

~:~

Jayla stormed into the gun room, angry and yet exhausted.

"Your here early," a deep voice said, making Jay start. Optimus Prime was standing there, as though he, too, was planning on training.

"Yeah, I had family over," Jayla said, scowling fiercely.

"Sam was here?"

"No. My...extended family. From my dad's side of the family."

"Your dad's side?"

"Sam is my half-brother. I use Witwicky as my last name because only my mother and father know that I'm not my father's child. I don't think Sam even knows, though I think he suspects." She wasn't sure why she was opening up to Optimus.

"Who is your father?" He sounded genuinely curious, but you could never tell with these Autobots.

"My dad is a mechanic who had sex with my mom and got her pregnant. I was the result. A cursed child." Jayla laughed, a little sourly. She hated telling the 'generic' story. All mothers of the gods had one, unless they hated their kids, which was always a possibility. "Then my father came along, then so did Sam. Little Sammy. He was cute as a baby. Now? Not so much."

~:~

Optimus stared at the girl as she loaded her gun, bullets made of a type of bronze with weird qualities. Nothing that really registered on his initial scan. Then she started shooting, not stopping until the paper target was shredded.

She had some built up hatred for her extended family.

"Why do you hate them?" he questioned as he aimed his weapon at the Autobot-level target.

"Hate who...? Oh, them. I hate them because any time they call, they just want a gods-forsaken job done. Not to just say, "Hey, I missed out on your birthday, here's a present!" But regular, life-endangering missions that they can't do themselves because the 'Ancient Laws' prevent them. Well I'll tell them they can shove their missions down their throats because I'll be damned to Tartarus if I am going to put up with that kind of slag," Jayla seethed. Optimus could practically feel the anger rolling off of her.

"You are angry at your father's side because they are not good parents?" he asked.

Jayla gave a small smile.

"Yes. They are terrible parents. And I wish that...I wish that I didn't have him as my father. Because all he's done for me is curse me and nearly get me killed."

"Does this have to do with your wolf form?"

She tensed as he asked this. She looked at him.

"Yeah, I kind of figured you'd ask about that. Everyone who sees her can't help but ask." Her facial expression darkened. Optimus knew that the human race was complicated…but this was more complicated than he thought. He shot off a few cannon blasts, but waited afterwards until she was done shooting from her gun. When she did, she took a deep breath. "She's my personal baggage. A creature that was inside of me that I can't control-actually, two. The other one I had I suppressed a long time ago." A small smile came on her face. "I miss her, sometimes, chatting aimlessly in my head. But then I remember what she did…and I hate her." The smile was gone, a shield in its place. Jayla holstered her weapon. "Well, Optimus, that was a nice chat and all, but I really have to go." She waved one hand at him.

He watched her go.

That femme was more and more mysterious…a mystery he was determined to see through.


	11. Chapter 11

_So…if I get angry PMs demanding to know why I just deleted all of the Prime Princess Chronicles, it's because I'm rewriting the chapters to most of the stories. For the most part, I think most of part 3 will be left alone, but there will be a major overhaul of parts 4&amp;5\. These will cover ALL movies and eventually go off into AU. Please don't be too angry._

_Hopefully you'll like this next chapter! Read and please review!_

_~:~_

Jayla wandered into the main control area. She tilted her head in confusion as the sensors picked up something. "What's going on?" she demanded, a chill going down her spine. Oh, she was so hoping that it wasn't-

"A…pack of wolves, ma'am," the tech geek stuttered. Jayla took a deep breath as she heard Nightwalker chuckling.

_He's back for us,_ she said, amusement in her tone. _At the baying of his voice, we'll be forced to go to him._

_**I'm done being in a pack,**_ Jayla growled back. _**His howls have no effect on one who gains a mortal form.**_

_Fool,_ Nightwalker scorned. _It may have little to no effect on you, stupid child, but it has an effect on _**me!**

As if to prove her words, a howl rent the air, slipping through the cracks and vents and chilling all who heard it to the bone.

As if she was being pulled by puppet strings, Jayla started walking towards the howl.

She couldn't scream as she was forced to run by another howl, nor was she hindered by any soldier who stepped in her way. She got outside and saw her pack.

The pack alpha grinned.

However, curiously, Jayla and Nightwalker felt no loyalty to him. Another wolf-any on any planet that had pack hierarchy-had to answer the nearest alpha. A leader-less pack would join up with the nearest alpha-led packs. Even Artemis knew this, and she had her own alpha wolf with her. Jayla and Nightwalker had always felt instant-and somewhat blind-loyalty in Snowfall (Artemis' alpha wolf). Curiously, she felt nothing as she looked at Lycaon.

"Lycaon," she spat.

"Dear Jay-jay," the wolf king simpered. "Join my pack." His voice had Alpha Command. It was only through sheer dumb luck that Jayla did not.

It seemed that, without even realizing it, Jayla had joined another pack and had another alpha.

"You're out of luck," she said simply. "I already have a pack. Get off her territory." How Jayla knew that her alpha was a her, Jayla could not know.

And Lycaon growled, furious. He knew when he was beaten. He howled once more, and Jayla intentionally put a hand on the electric fence in an effort to stop herself from going to Lycoan.

She screamed as electricity raced over her body, hundreds-if not thousands-of volts of it all slamming into it.

She heard yelling as she passed out, but didn't think much of it.

~:~

When she woke up, there were two distinct voices in her mind, one talking way more than the other.

_Is she alive? Oh, I hope she's alive. You can never tell with-_

_Shut up, Nightshadow._

_**I'm alive…please tell me I just heard you two wrong and I did not hear Nightshadow speaking.**_

_HEY, JAY!_

**SHUT UP**! Both Jayla and Nightwalker screamed at her.

Jayla cracked open her eyes to see Will looking down at her in concern.

"You okay, Jayla?" he asked her, concerned. "You almost fried. Any second later and you'd be dead!"

Jayla stared at him for a minute, then she coughed. It came out slightly…mechanical.

Then she started coughing even more. Then she stopped when she saw a small amount of blood on her hand.

Will swore. "Jayla, what the-"

"Don't," She said hoarsely. "It's just a side effect of-" She coughed again, this time becoming dizzy and fainting again, lungs burning.


	12. Chapter 12

Jayla yawned as she got up again, this time not coughing. Nobody was by her bedside-thank the gods-but she assumed that there was no reason for her not to get up and do her duties as a soldier.

Thinking on that, she was curious as to why Ratchet wasn't in the medbay. He was _always _in the med bay.

"If you're wondering," a voice said, making the redhead yelp and fall off the bed, "why Ratchet's not here, it's because there's a new liaison."

Jayla got back up on the bed. The woman there was familiar to her.

"Mikaela. You sound a bit different," she stated calmly.

Mikaela snorted. "Or you're still feeling the aftereffects of both Lycaon's howl and the electricity."

Jayla blinked. "What?" she asked dumbly.

Mikaela gave her a wry smile. "Not a wolf, just descended from a pack. The wolf gene's not dominate in my line," she told the redhead. "I wasn't told about my line until after Dad got out of jail."

Jayla nodded in understanding. "Not a demigod then?"

Mikaela shook her head. "More like a watchdog," she joked. "Anyway, I'm apparently allergic to grapefruit and someone put lemon in my drink."

Jayla flinched. "Yeah, my weakness is water." Jayla grimaced. "Well, large bodies of it. Stay in the ocean too long and I'm a goner."

"Really?" Mikaela asked wonderingly.

"Yeah. Who's the new liaison?"

"Some jerk named Alice."

~:~

Alice being a jerk was an understatement.

As soon as Jayla and Mikaela slipped into the room, Alice was snapping at a soldier for having his hair not regulation length and at another for not having her hair in a bun.

Jayla quickly put her hair in a tight bun, Mikaela holding a folder that probably had documents that said 'she was a civilian friend of the Autobots and allowed wherever they went', to put it simply.

When Alice arrived to them, everyone was quiet and wondering what Alice would say to Mikaela.

"No civilians allowed," sniffed the lady.

Mikaela opened her mouth.

"I don't care what your folder says, no civilians allowed," Alice snarled.

"Ma'am," Jayla said, keeping her face straight.

Alice turned to glower at her. "What, Witkicky?"

Jayla clenched her teeth. "Witwicky, Ma'am. I was just wondering something, but I suppose it's not-"

"Ask," barked Alice.

"Aren't you technically a civilian, ma'am?" Jayla asked, making her eyes turn guileless.

Alice seemed to approve of her question, for she clapped Jayla on the shoulder.

"At least someone in this room has brains," was all she said before turning from Mikaela and Jayla. She went on to bark at a few more soldiers, but she seemed more distracted.

They found out rather quickly why.

The president himself was visiting.

The soldiers that had the top security clearance given to them by the President (well, by General Morshower since the President changed every four years, but everyone agreed it was best if they lied and said the President gave them clearance…) were the ones that had been nagged by Alice. With Mikaela and the Autobots, it lent an incredible amount of proof that humans and autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron could live in peace.

"Atten-tion!" Will shouted as the President and General Morshower entered the room.

"Epps, Figg, Lennox, Witwicky, and Banes, with me," the General ordered.

The five mentioned did so, Mikaela sticking out a little because of her civilian clothing.

When they were all striding with the President, Will took the opportunity to whisper into Jayla's ear.

"Ratchet discharged you?"

"I discharged myself," she whispered back.

"He's going to be angry," Will snorted.

"I know, but he's going to be as polite as he can considering that the President's here," she quietly retorted.

"Soldiers," Morshower snapped, "whatever you have to say, please say it aloud."

"We were just talking about how mad Ratchet will be, sir," Jayla said loudly, earning a wide-eyed look from Epps and Figg. "Seeing as I and Mikaela discharged ourselves from the med bay after Mikaela's lemon allergy and me from my electrocution."

"You were electrocuted?" the President asked.

"I electrocuted myself, sir," Jayla answered tightly. "I was having a problem with a person who used to be my leader when I wasn't in NEST, sir." If the President was a demigod, he wouldn't ask her why she hadn't been fried immediately.

She knew he wasn't a demigod, however, so she wasn't disappointed when he asked, "And why are you still alive?"

"Our medic is the best, despite the fact he isn't human," Jayla said immediately. No need to clue everyone around her in on the fact that she was a demigod capable of shapeshifting into a metal wolf with the freaking AllSpark inside her.

Well, no need to clue in Morshower or Alice or the President yet.

She trusted Epps, Figg, Will, and Mikaela.

~:~

"And this is the Autobot hangar, sir, where the Autobots are currently waiting," said Lennox.

The hangar door opened to see the Autobots standing around, looking awesome.

It would have been a little more impressive if Ratchet hadn't been talking to Bumblebee about why he should never even _try_ to use another detonator on a moving target.

Jayla cleared her throat, and Ratchet turned to see the humans.

"You discharged yourselves," Ratchet growled. "Next time you're in the medbay I'll make sure you stay until I discharge you."

"Frag," Jayla muttered under her breath.

"Hello," the President greeted. "I am the President of the United States. This is Alice Conway, your newly appointed liaison."

"They have dirt on them," Alice sneered.

Jayla felt a flash of anger. Alice was the liaison and didn't even think that she had to speak with them?

"Who among you is the leader?" the President asked, looking to Bumblebee, who pointed in a very human way to Optimus.

Optimus took that as his cue and sank down to look at the President very closely.

"I am Optimus Prime," he said in that deep voice of his.

Mikaela elbowed Jayla and whispered, "He has very big arms, doesn't he?"

Jayla snorted, but coughed to hide the fact that she was amused.

Once all attention had been returned to the President and Optimus, Jayla leaned over to Mikaela and said in a low whisper, "I shall say nothing because they can hear everything and I really don't want to embarrass myself."

Mikaela was unrepentant. "You totally think he does!"

"Ladies!" Alice barked, glowering at the two. "Please pay attention to the President while he talks to the alien."

That was it.

"Liaison Alice," Jayla said in a perfectly civil tone, causing the President and Optimus to stop talking, "'the alien', as you so indelicately put it, is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, not _'them'._ Please look at the Human-Autobot Agreement Act to either further your education or at least stop speaking as though the Autobots are not worthy of recognition. It's very derogative and could lead to an intergalactic war between us and them, when we really can't do scrap against the Decepticons without them. Plus, if they are our allies now, and when they return to the stars, speaking good of the human race, we might not get a terrible reputation because of your lack of tact."

Jayla's small speech was rewarded with silence.

"I highly doubt you're qualified for politics, soldier," Alice said coolly.

"Let her speak, Liaison Conway," the President said.

"I don't see how letting a soldier speak would help anything!" Alice exclaimed.

"Optimus Prime is a soldier," Jayla said coldly, eyes flashing acidic green (unknown to her, both her and Nightwalker spoke). "Chosen to lead his people, not because he was a politician, but because he was a leader to the Autobots. I suggest you_ follow my advice,_ **Liaison**. Because, like I said, I don't think you want to make Optimus Prime one of your enemies."

Jayla fell silent, stepping behind Will in embarrassment.

"Soldiers, Liaison, you are dismissed," Morshower said, though there was a bit of a grin in his voice. "I shall take the President out after we have finished discussing things."

"Sir!" the soldiers said, snapping into a salute, then rushing out of there.

~:~

Mikaela watched the soldiers leave.

"Banes, I thought I said to leave," the General said.

Mikaela's face became the very picture of innocence as she held out her binder.

"I'm not a soldier or liaison," Mikaela said, smiling sweetly.

The General just sighed.


	13. Chapter 13

"They pretty much just talked about boring political stuff, from one alien race to another. I think your lovely speech made a pretty severe impact on the General, the President, and the Autobots," said Mikaela as she and Jayla got lunch.

"I was looking to make her see that soldiers aren't terrible," Jayla muttered. "I think I insulted Optimus when I called him one, though," she added, wincing a bit.

"Nope," Mikaela shrugged. "I think he was pretty impressed."

**I was~**

_Leave me alone, Nightshadow!_

**You stink. You're a big ball of meanness.**

_Nightshadow, shut up or else._

~:~

"Jayla!" Will clapped the woman's shoulders.

"Will! What do you want?" Jayla asked after hugging him.

"Well, you, Epps, and a newbie named Dane have been asked to see the liaison to the airport in New Jersey. You'll be going by plane, but you'll be coming back by plane as well." Will noticed the look of revulsion on Jayla's face. "And wipe that look off of your face, she didn't request you by name. It was Morshower who asked me to tell you."

"Damn, I had plans for the weekend," she said with disappointment.

"What kind of plans?" Will asked, taking her coffee.

"I was going to visit a live volcano in Hawaii. General Morshower better give me a week of leave for this," Jayla griped.

"That's your idea of 'fun'?" asked Will after he stopped choking on her coffee.

"No, it's my idea of seeing whether or not I'd die if I decided to jump," Jayla said with a straight face. Will eyed her, unable to see if she was serious or not. "Anyway, when does she leave?"

"In an hour," Will told her.

Jayla jumped up, running out, exclaiming how she needed to pack.

~:~

Of course, something went wrong.

Jayla knew that there were always two jets following them in case of a Decepticon attack.

But, at around the second hour of the flight, there was only one.

"Dane, Epps, we have a 'Con on our tail," she said, her voice steady despite the fact that inwardly she was scared.

"Buckle in," Epps instructed the flight crew.

They were quick to follow his orders.

There was a lot of jostling, which lended validity to the fact that the 'Cons didn't care if most of them were dead; however, unlike normal 'Cons, these ones didn't rip the plane open in midair, which made Jayla think that this was not, truth to be told, a 'Con attack.

The plane settled on the ground.

"Everyone alive?" Jayla asked. She received various grunts. "Epps, Dane. I don't think it's a 'Con attack."

"How do you know?" Dane hissed.

"I don't think the 'Cons would go through so much trouble as to set us on the ground," Jayla replied coldly. She didn't like Dane all that much, but her dislike of Alice was bigger.

"Jayla's right," Epps said. "These aren't Autobots, since they don't care, but I really doubt they're 'Cons. 'Cons would rip open the side and cackle while we're screaming through the air."

"While that visage is good, thank you," Alice said sharply, though she sounded terrified, "what should we do?"

"Wait," Jayla said simply. "I'll go check the cockpit."

She returned moments later. The emergency lights were on, but Jayla was alone, and her lips were pressed tightly together.

"Nothing?" Epps asked. Jayla shook her head, mourning the fact that the captain hadn't been warned.

Alice and Dane looked like they were going to be sick, while the two flight attendants fainted.

Jayla settled in for a long wait.

~:~

The plane had been lifted into the air, but not far, and they were lifted with more care than when they were taken down. It was a short while later that they were gently set down and one of the doors was ripped open.

Jayla had her gun out in a second.

"We are NEST personnel," she barked, sounding a little like Will. "State your intentions."

"Put down your gun, human," snapped the voice outside. "And you-and you alone-better come out or we'll destroy the craft."

"If they can't see inside, how to they know you're holding a gun?" Alice demanded, her voice high. "Did you sell us out?"

"Seriously? Why the Hades would I sell someone out when I have everything I actually want?" Jayla demanded of the lady, shaking her head in disbelief at her utter stupidity. "And of _course _they can see inside, dumbaft!"

Jayla put the gun down and should up, taking off all her weaponry (excluding her Celestial Bronze weapons). Epps and Dane watched her.

"Why are you doing that?" Dane asked, no longer sounding snide.

"I'd rather not give off the wrong impression if I haven't already," Jayla retorted as she reached the plane door. Jumping down onto the ground, she flinched as the impact jarred her legs and nearly snapped them. If it hadn't been for the fact that she was stronger because she could change into two wolves, she probably would've died on impact.

"Humans are so tiny," said the one that had spoken earlier.

Jayla squinted up, then Nightwalker huffed in her mind.

_Allow me?_

**_Fine._**

~:~

Nightwalker's metallic body formed, making the three Neutrals gasp in awe.

_Why have you killed a human and frightened the others in there?_ She asked the Neutrals. They didn't look too good, considering the fact that they'd probably crashed here.

They stared at her, as she was using Basic Cybertronian.

"We found out a piece of information while scanning for other neutrals," admitted one of the three. "One of the ladies in there, an Alice Conway, is a Decepticon informant."

_You do realize Optimus Prime is on this planet, no?_ questioned the wolf-symbiont.

"We don't want to get involved in the war."

_Not yet, you mean. I can tell from your armor that you were once Decepticons. You wish to wait the war out. And that's what makes you __**cowards.**_ Nightwalker was done playing with these three.

"How dare you accuse us of being cowards! Where is your mistress, _symbiont?_" rudely asked the ruby-eyed neutral.

_Not awake, at the moment,_ Nightwalker growled. _But I am not simply __**any**__ symbiont, I am Nightwalker, the one who runs by Shadowdusk's side. I was once dead, but I am alive now. Do __**not**__ test me,_ she warned the three, whose optics seemed to dilate in fear. _Now, I will contact the Autobots. Good for you that I can actually run faster than any of you. If ANY of the humans-apart from the pilot, he's already gone, thanks to you-are dead when I get back, then I will be certain to let the Prime know who did it. Don't leave, either,_ the wolf warned._ Otherwise I won't be pleased._

That being said, the wolf vanished, running flat out, powerful strides making the miles fly by. She arrived at the ocean's side and hesitated, pawing the ground in agitation. Then she saw that half of the ground was freezing-unnaturally.

Her optics looked around, then saw a hand touching the ocean, freezing it.

It was a young woman, about the same age as Jayla.

Quickly getting closer, the wolf bent down, offering the woman a ride. Helping her up was easy.

_She's like me,_ Jayla's voice came.

Unable to respond as Jayla was unable to see (unable to see anything but what Nightwalker wanted her to), Nightwalker started running on the thick ice, which spread further than ever.

Finally, they arrived, guards aiming guns at them.

Nightwalker growled, angry.

"Don't shoot!" Lennox's voice said. "PUT YOUR GUNS DOWN! She's an ally!"

_Lennox,_ she said in English. _Tell Prime I must speak with him._

Lennox did so, using his walkie-talkie.

"Optimus, the wolf wants to speak with you."

Optimus was there in a matter of minutes, nobody realizing that the water between the island and the mainland was frozen.

"What's wrong?" he questioned.

_Alice Conway is a Decepticon spy, three neutrals have been found that are ex-cons with no insignia. One had ruby optics, one has sapphire, and one has white._ Nighwalker paced. _I have to go back. The pilot died; I believe the ruby-eyed one cared less that all of us were alive. He's mimicked a jet, don't know what the other two have transformed into yet._

"Thank you," the Prime said to her. "Will you go back to them?"

_I will. I believe you can find the co-ordinates to be two hours by plane away. I shall be leaving; I wish you a safe journey._

Nightwalker wheeled around and began running again.


	14. Chapter 14

"Alice Conway, you are convicted of treason against the human race," Morshower said gravely. "For the safety of our world, Prime will make the decision that determines your life span."

Alice had a knowing smirk on her face.

"Do you have anything to say?" Morshower asked.

"Only that you are fools to think that the Autobots will win!" crowed the 'Con informant. Optimus noticed Jayla look paler when she spoke next. "And talking of world security…they have no idea of what a monster you really are, do they, _Jayla?_"

Jayla only stood taller, despite her pale features.

"Of course they wouldn't. Pathetic little child of Hephaestus. You a monster, and nothing will deny that!"

Jayla said nothing. Morshower turned to her and gave her a sharp nod.

Jayla lifted her chin. "I never denied the fact that I was a monster; it was others who told me I was. But, Alice dear," here her voice changed. The Autobots as a whole were fascinated by the ability humans had that made their voices too sweet; it was astounding that they didn't have voice modulators like the Autobots did. Jayla continued in a sickly sweet tone, "Someone like you who betrays their world is absolutely…disgusting."

Morshower cleared his throat. "Prime, how would you handle this?"

"Normally, we would put them in a secure vault with no way in," he said, "but that would not work, as you breathe."

The general sighed heavily.

"If I may," Jayla said suddenly, "may I take her to see…the rest of my family? They would be able to find an apt punishment."

Morshower stared at her, as though that was a foreign idea. "I'm not sure-"

"Sir," Lennox said, casting a glance at the Autobots with obvious hesitation, "there's a reason we have these beads, and it has to do with our family." He indicated a necklace. Optics got a close-up; it was inscribed with Ancient Greek, a language that was supposedly dead. "And since Alice knows of our…unique…heritage, I assure you that our family can deal with Alice."

Morshower heaved a breath. "If she reports to the Decepticons…" he warned them.

The two nodded, and grabbed Alice's arms harshly. Alice, who had long stopped smiling, had a complexion that looked like paint.

Optimus didn't know why the two didn't trust the Autobots. But, catching a few uneasy glances from several soldiers in the midst of other soldiers, most of the glances being cast to the other soldiers-he understood. It was a secret that NOBODY in the room wanted any others to know, unless they already knew.

Optimus glanced at his other Autobots. He all of them.

_ saw and heard it as well, did you not?.:_ he asked them.

_ ,.:_ Ironhide responded. _ 're hiding something. And if others know it, it's a big secret. I have a feeling that Alice wasn't supposed to know, either, judging by the panic on the young femme's face..:_

Optimus had indeed seen that panic. It had something to do with that necklace Lennox had showcased. Jayla had one, but it was longer and only the back of it was seen.

~"~

The first time Optimus overheard one of their conversations was after watching the neutrals for a few days. The ex-Con was watched by Ironhide (who actually had defected) Optimus watched the former Autobot while Ratchet watched the true 'neutral'. He hadn't fully powered down in the Autobot hangar that the base had for them.

Lennox and Jayla had been walking towards each other, bumping into each other with their papers flying. None of the Autobots dared to make a sound as the two bent down to hiss a few sentences.

"They're getting suspicious," Jayla whispered as her hand moved and picked up her papers at a slow rate. "They're going to accuse us of being traitors, and I don't want that brand on my head again."

"You were never a traitor, you were influenced by Lycaon," Lennox told her in a stern whisper. "And if worst comes to worst, you can used your fire and create a distraction, then run away when they're blinded by the smoke."

"I'd never leave any of my family behind, despite the fact that I still hate my father's guts. Thank gods your dad was the one to…you know," she said, standing with all her papers and helping Lennox up. "But someday they're going to find out and it's not going to be good."

"I know," Lennox whispered. "But nobody has asked us outright if we're hiding anything, so we don't have to lie. Just for a little bit longer, Jay," Lennox said, embracing her.

"Okay. Right now I got to get more coffee. Is it still decaf?" Jayla asked, removing herself from her friend. "Because I need caffeine if I'm going to finish this damn paperwork."

Lennox made a face that looked vaguely unpleasant. "I still have three more piles the size of Everest in my office."

"Poor baby," Jayla said in a sarcastic tone. Human inflections were so strange sometimes. "I have to go finish my stack by morning, else I'll be on gate patrol later." She waved to him and he waved to her, and the hangar became silent once more. She passed them twice more that night, but both times in a hurry. Optimus wanted to confront her to see what she was hiding, but he did not want to push too hard.

~"~

Not all the Autobots who had heard that agreed with Optimus.

"Optimus, they could be hiding something completely detrimental to the mission of protecting them," Ironhide growled, obviously wanting some action. It'd been terribly dull without 'Con attacks.

"Peace, old friend," the Autobot said, amused. "I highly doubt that any of them are traitors."

"How would you know?"

"You know," Jayla said, making all of the Autobots in the room turn to her. "You could always just _ask._"

"Are you a traitor?" Optimus asked.

Jayla smiled. "Nope."

"And yet, you continue to hide things," Ironhide pointed out.

Jayla pointed at him. "You hide things. Why?"

Optimus stiffened a little bit. "Our weaponry is too advanced for humans to use it properly."

Her smile widened. "Ah. So you protect the humans?"

Optimus shifted. "We shall do our best," he replied warily. Jayla nodded, apparently satisfied.

"Good, because that's the gist of what I do." Jayla made way to leave.

"You say that if you aren't human," stated Ratchet.

Jayla only turned her head. "Who says I'm fully human?" she said, and she left.

She was a puzzle. A puzzle that he wanted to solve.


	15. Chapter 15

Jayla looked around, to make sure nobody was around her, and she opened her palm and lit it on fire. With that done, she took a deep breath and let it extend up to her elbow-and one licked her uniform.

She beat it out quickly, sighing.

"Good to see you using your power," a young voice said. "But your hunting skills _suck,_ pup."

"Shut up, Thalia," Jayla said, scowling. "I'm no more a _pup_ then you are a freaking _Barbie._"

"Hm. Then why haven't you been coming over to the hunt?" Thalia asked, tilting her head and pouting. The-well, not counting the time when Nico and Hazel were dead-oldest of the Big Three gods was _adorable_ when she was pouting. Jayla sighed.

"Because I've been busy," she said, rubbing her head. "These two annoying idiots won't _shut up,_ I can barely sleep without getting more _freaking_ paperwork, and I'm going on a mission soon that I sure as hell _cannot_ screw up."

Thalia sighed. "That's going to have to wait."

Outraged, the fire user opened her mouth, but Thalia glared. Jayla shut her mouth.

"For this, I need the pup."

Jayla rolled her eyes, then felt that odd sensation she always felt when she _allowed _one of her wolves to take over.

~:~

_What's wrong?_ Asked Nightwalker.

"Someone's kidnapped Leo."

A growl ripped through the air. Thalia nodded.

"Want to help me save him?"

_Hades yes, but you need to send Will Lennox a message,_ said Nightwalker. _It has been far too long since I hunted anything worth my time._ The wolf waited while Thalia wrote Will a message, then fired it.

Then Thalia whistled sharply, and both wolf and demigod vanished.

~:~

"Jayla Witwicky is missing from action. She was doing gate patrol, but is not anywhere on the island," reported one of the many soldiers. Will was standing there, listening, and praying to the gods that the Autobots hadn't heard of her missing status.

'_Dammit, Jayla. Couldn't have waited a little bit?'_ he thought to himself rather angrily.

"Major Lennox," Optimus said after Lennox had dismissed the soldier. "I have heard that one of the soldiers are missing."

Will winced a bit. "Yes," he said carefully, "but maybe it wasn't from a hostile and she wouldn't willingly go with a hostile." In other words, _Jayla is not a traitor._

"Perhaps not," the gigantic alien robot said. "But there are a few circumstances that may have led her to leave, am I wrong?"

Lennox eyed the leader of the Autobots. "Maybe," he allowed. "But I can't talk about them without the express permission of all involved in those circumstances." The sentence spoken was a warning. _I can't talk about anything until Jayla comes back._ Optimus backed off.

"Should we start getting ready for the mission, sir? Or should we wait for Jayla?" one of the newbies-a girl with literal white hair-asked, her glacial blue eyes holding amusement in them.

"Let's start getting ready. I have no idea when Jayla will be back." He glanced down at Thalia's message again with a troubled look. _I hope this mission works, Jayla._

~:~

Two weeks later and Jayla walked to her quarters, soaking wet and _furious._ Leo had been fine, just been lost in a swamp in Louisiana, where he'd been fending off hellhounds while gathering wood for rebuilding his ship, which was going to be named Argo III, seeing as the ship was going to be rebuilt from scratch.

Leo had just called it the 'new and going-to-be improved version of the Argo II'. Everyone else would probably call it the Argo II, but anyway the entire trip was not worth it. Leo had been fine.

And she had gone to General Morshower's office with an explanation Artemis had given, and the general had had a hard time keeping his snickers to himself when it came to the soaked-in-swampwater young woman.

She slipped into her room and took a shower and changed, heading to her office. As soon as she saw the stacks and stacks of paperwork…she figured out a new way to lessen the amount.

Anyone passing by her closed office idly wondered why there was smoke coming out of the bottom of the door, but everyone knew not to bug her.

~:~

She was fast asleep after burning all her paperwork that wasn't really necessary when Lennox shoved the door open, the rest of the smoke exiting the room and Jayla sat up, blinking, when a solid punch was landed on her face.

"Ow," she said in surprise, not feeling the pain-and then it blasted in her chin and she flinched at Lennox's pissed look.

"Walking out like that? Scaring the shit out of me? You better have a good explanation," he warned her.

"You didn't have to punch me!" Jayla shouted at him.

"You weren't aware of your surroundings. Just keeping you on your toes," Lennox sighed. "Just tell me it was a serious emergency."

"Leo was missing, found him in a swamp," she said to him, sitting back in her chair. "I'm going to finish my paperwork, Will. I'll come out later."

It was a clear dismissal. Lennox sighed, but he couldn't do anything, so he just left her there writing. Little did he know she fell asleep almost seconds after he'd shut the door.


	16. Chapter 16

Jayla darted to the barracks of the lesser officers and said the woman who'd helped her. The white hair was pretty blatant.

"Hey!" she called, and the white haired girl looked at her with wide eyes. "I didn't get a chance to thank you," Jayla said, smiling. She was slightly out of breath, but she had been running for a solid twenty minutes. She wasn't one of those Big Three children, so she didn't have insane stamina that they had. There was a possibility that Jayla could fly, but…she honestly had no intention of trying that out quite yet. She wasn't suicidal.

Well, mostly. Like all demigods, she did have that urge to go jump off a roof, but for most of them it really would only hamper them for a second, even if it was broken.

Jayla couldn't quite recall if it was her training with monsters in the woods at Camp or training with_ Meda_ that had done it (Jayla knew Meda went by that name for her close friends. Even though Jayla hadn't really seen her the last few years, it was still an honor to be considered among Meda's closest friends, seeing as Thalia had sort-of-died and had only been revived from the tree Thalia had turned into thanks to the Golden Fleece, Luke had betrayed her and Annabeth was dating her brother…Jayla was still happy. And even though Jayla wasn't one of the Seven and was a couple years older than Meda, she considered herself really lucky to be Meda's friend…despite the fact that Jayla hadn't heard from Meda in quite a while), but she had quite a high pain tolerance.

The white haired girl in front of Jayla smiled, though her eyes betrayed her confusion.

"For what?" the girl asked.

Jayla frowned. Nightwalker had told her that the girl had helped her across the ocean, and that was why Jayla had accepted the girl personally in her small pretty much demigod-only faction.

Well, hers, Will's, and Epps'. They had gone to General Morshower and explained their unique heritage. After Jayla's urgent but entirely useless quest she'd had as a wolf in Artemis' pack (Jayla still had yet to find out just who was her other pack leader), they'd realized that demigods-while in the minority-still needed some unique training and missions. Higher stamina, pain thresholds, and familiarity with how to use weapons (be they daggers, whips, swords, or guns…though Jayla really only knew one person who was _insane_ enough to use a frigging _whip_) than normal humans. The godly DNA really did come in handy.

"Helping us out on the ocean," she smiled. "I'm Jayla Witwicky, daughter of Festus." It was a test. The other girl's eyes widened. She seemed to catch on.

"You mean _Hephaestus_, don't you?" she queried.

Jayla shut her eyes, smiled, and tilted her head. She'd been told it was creepy as hell on a normal human and not an anime character by Will.

(First her more crazy wolf inside her head was an otaku, and now Will was, too? Why her?!)

"Do I?" she asked lightly.

"I'm Elsa, daughter of Khione."

Jayla lost her smile and her eyes popped open wide while her head straightened.

"Khione?" Jayla asked guardedly.

"Don't start, please," the girl requested. "I wasn't involved in the war…mostly. The only time I was told to help my mother was during the time Hera was imprisoned, and the only thing I did was ice the cage. How was I supposed to know it would hinder Hera _and_ Gaea?"

Jayla eyed her. "As long as you feel no ill intention towards those of us who helped on either side."

Elsa only stared at her, and Jayla winced and looked away, ashamed.

"I had no problem helping you. I was bored and I've pretty much gotten my powers under control."

**Yeah, right,** a male voice scoffed.

Jayla looked alarmed, but Elsa looked even more so when she realized Jayla had heard that voice.

_Oh, hello, Snowdrift. It's been a while,_ Nightwalker commented.

'_Oh, Nightwalker. Our hosts are idiots, aren't they?'_ Snowdrift asked.

_**Don't talk about Jayla like that!**_

'_**Nightshadow!'**_

_**Snowstar!**_

Jayla looked at Elsa.

"You have two wolves in your head, too?" Jayla asked, surprised.

Elsa nodded as everyone looked to the door. Jayla had been inconspicuous, seeing as she hadn't been wearing the full uniform, but Will and Epps were not being inconspicuous.

"Yeah, they're a pain. We might have accidentally helped out Lycaon once or twice, but that was when we were forced into his pack," she said with her humiliation and sorrow painted on her face, along with something Jayla saw reflected on her face almost every day-_guilt_.

Jayla shrugged.

"I had no choice, either," she said, not looking at Elsa. "Artemis was on Olympus."

"Alright, demigods and Legacies and those actually aware of your godly ancestry, listen up," Will ordered. "We'll have a vote. Those of you who have an Olympian parent, Hestia, Hecate, and Hades included, will have two votes, and Big Three kids will have three. Two questions, everyone. Okay? Okay. Question one: Who in this room wants our parentage or our ancestry to remain a secret?"

Very few people raised their hands.

"Question two: Who in the room wants to stop lying to the others and possibly killed because we act so secretive and the Autobots might try to investigate and we might eventually be seen as traitors?"

The silence was thick, until Jayla thrust her hand in the air almost viciously.

And then the room was filled with hands. A clear majority.

"Alright," Lennox nodded. "General Morshower already knows. We'll tell the Autobots."

~:~

Jayla had been the one picked to tell the Autobots. Mainly because she was a demigod with the power to melt almost anything to a freakin' puddle. Maybe it was because she was a redhead and held true to one of the stereotypes of redheads: when she got pissed, she had a very nasty temper.

Very few people had ever seen Jayla really _lose it._ The few times she had…well, it had not been pretty and had resulted in someone's lost limb.

Not that Jayla planned to lose her temper; it was just a thing people that knew her said to watch out for.

_Don't piss off the redhead._ It was generally not in the best interest of whoever was on the receiving end of her anger.

Maybe Jayla had an anger problem. Or (maybe because her dad was an absent god and had a mother that tossed him off of Olympus had a dad that was a Titan who swallowed her because he was scared of a prophecy made by the Oracle [who scared _everyone_] that had real issues) she got some of the issues by blood (figuratively, seeing as the gods had golden ichor and not red blood like the mortals did). Whatever the reason, there was a lot of anger in Jayla and it didn't _entirely_ involve the fact that she was the one that had to play messenger.

No, she'd just gotten a message from Thalia. Apparently Meda had done something stupid.

Meda _always_ did stupid stuff, but blowing up the Leaning Tower of Pisa just before school ended and about three months after the _official_ end of the Second Giant War was _idiotic._

That's why Jayla was fuming. Not _pissed,_ but Meda was sure to do something utterly dumb soon enough.

The young woman took a deep breath and entered the Autobot hangar, which was roomy and very spacious. Most of them were at the target range they had made (Jayla didn't want to know how) and didn't notice the young woman.

Optimus, however, did.

"Major Witwicky," he said, making her jump and whirl, a hand up, ready to throw fire at any second-only to stop at Optimus' voice and relax carefully.

"Optimus," she greeted carefully, wary. "Can I speak with you outside?"

Her message, after all, was really for Optimus. She didn't need to tell the Autobots; she could tell Optimus and let him decide whether or not to trust his comrades.

"Yes." Optimus transformed and opened his door. The demigod entered his cab and he left the hangar.

Jayla took a deep breath. "I told you once before that I wasn't fully human," she said, hoping she wasn't making a mistake.

"Indeed you did. I believe it is a secret of yours." Optimus' tone was neutral. It was difficult for her to tell if he was wary or cautious.

"It has to do with several of my secrets, two of which are the biggest concerns, and one of which will be shown later," she responded carefully. Nowadays she wasn't so sure that her wolf problem had to do with her being the first ever demigod daughter of Hephaestus. "My family…well. My father, Ron Witwicky, isn't my real dad."

"That is possible with humans, to have sparklings outside of your bondings?" Optimus asked, seeming surprised.

Jayla winced. "Yeah, but while it's kind of common it's not looked at with positivity. I have been insulted because of it, since I lived in a kind of small town where everyone knew each other." And it was true-while Tranquility, Nevada wasn't all that big-having one mall, and it was pretty decent-sized, room for an entire school district crammed into two buildings-, it was on the map and it _was_ one of those places where if you went to the gas station the person there would know your name and how many kids you had. It was one of the reasons Jayla had joined the military-the first being that she really had liked working with the Autobots. "Anyway, my mother _is _Judy Witwicky, but my dad…he's…" Jayla hesitated, then sighed. "My dad is the Greek god Hephaestus."

~:~

Optimus was shocked upon learning that there was such a thing as sparklings out of bondings on this planet. Then again, these were organic creatures, and they called their sparklings 'babies'. An odd word.

But the real question was, why was that a terribly huge secret?

And when she'd revealed her parentage, he'd felt her tense. As though she was waiting for him to do something.

Quickly, he did some research on the Greek gods…and he was stunned at what information he accumulated.

"You say your father is the god of forges and blacksmiths?" he asked her.

"And fire," the young femme supplied. "A power that I have."

"May I take a blood sample?" he inquired.

"I'd rather you not," was her quick reply. "I don't know if I can trust you completely yet."

"Then why are you with me, telling me this?" he asked her. She was smart.

"Because I know how to make a quick escape where there are no exits," she said slowly.

Optimus stopped and let her out, then transformed, getting down on one knee and inspecting the femme.

"You aren't human, yet you protect them." It was a simple statement. "You owe no loyalty to them. Why do you fight?"

"You aren't human, yet you protect them," mimicked the young femme. "You owe nothing to us, so why do _you_ fight?"

Optimus felt some of his faceplates shift into what resembled a smile. "I fight to protect the innocent," he said. "You seem to like fighting against those you do not like, and yet you have no real reason to destroy the Decepticons."

"I have no real reason to help you," she responded evenly, "and yet I do. I don't like things when people mess with my family, and I consider Ron, Mom, and Sam my family. The 'Cons messed with them, and they're going to regret it." She punched her fist into her palm, then let it fall. "'Sides, I would have been bugged to join you anyway. Nightwalker's a real pain in the neck."

Hearing her talk casually about the symbiont that did _not _like anyone but Shadowdusk talking about her like that…it made Optimus wonder just who this femme was.

One of the mysteries of Jayla Witwicky had been solved; yet, it had only brought up more mysteries.


	17. Chapter 17

_A Really Long Time Ago On A Distant Planet…_

"Optimus, there are rumors beginning to circulate." Ironhide, a ex-Decepticon, said to the Prime.

"What kind of rumors?" Optimus rumbled.

"Apparently, in the last cycle a valuable Energon tavern was almost destroyed by two femmes," said the trigger-happy warrior. "They call themselves the Prime Princesses for some reason. None have been able to identify the two femmes in question."

"What makes these rumors valid?" questioned Optimus.

"The tavern was drained of its Energon and left at one of the Autobot bases under siege during a reprieve in the fighting, and there were more reports of two femmes slaughtering the rest of the Decepticons besieging it," Ironhide replied quickly.

Optimus paused for a minute.

"Send reinforcements to any base lacking in Energon," he said at last. "As many that can be spared. Maybe you should go to the next likely area. Where was the tavern located?"

Ironhide hesitated. "Near Kaon."

Optimus paused. Prowl and Jazz were staring at Ironhide in undisguised shock-even Ultra Magnus stopped in shock.

"So it was a Decepticon tavern?"

"Mostly," Ironhide said. "Some neutrals were known to be there, but they've vanished. Most likely leaving Cybertron or already left-reports do indicate more and more neutrals are leaving. Most of them are femmes."

Optimus heard a scraping noise. The table of Autobots turned to see Prowl-the stoic, emotionless, logical ex-Con-glaring at nothing, his sensory wings flaring.

"Prowl." Prowl's optics turned to look at Optimus.

"Yes, sir?" he asked in a stiff tone.

"What is the matter?"

Prowl seemed to force himself to relax. "It is no wonder the femmes are leaving," he said stiffly. "Megatron kills them without mercy and puts their helms on the tip of the spikes that are on the gate to Kaon."

"How would you know this?" Ironhide growled. Optimus looked at Ratchet, who looked away. There was _something _that Ratchet hadn't told him.

Prowl looked at Ironhide. "My sparkmate died at his servos and placed her helm on a pike. I was there watching it."

"And you didn't defect then?" Ironhide wondered.

"At that time, I was unable to," Prowl snapped. "My sparkmate just died and I was certain she had been giving information to you. I had no idea that Megatron planned to kill me much later. When I did defect, my spark was whole. I did not realize one could live through it."

"You should not have," Ratchet spoke up, causing optics to turn to him. "I have heard that once a sparkmate is offlined, the other goes with them. The only explanation for this is that she was either mated to another as well, or she was a spark-twin." Ratchet shifted a bit. "And spark-twins are rare."

"She was a spark-twin," Prowl stated blandly. "I never met my sparkmate's twin, but I knew she was there."

"So…what should we do?" Ironhide growled.

"I could try to set up a meeting between her other sisters. It might be beneficial," Prowl said. "I know how to find them. Skyeride taught me how in case I needed to contact them."

"Very well," Optimus allowed.

~:~

"If you hadn't been _drunk_, I don't think that would have happened. You're lucky Starscream didn't die," said a yellow, tall femme bot.

"Yeah, yeah," dismissed the oldest of the family known as the Prime Princesses. "I did make sure he couldn't remember much."

"But that was _after. _And now we might have a fragging _bounty_ on our helms," she said crossly. "If only you were still in the 'I see a handsome mech' phase. I think Orion Pax would be intimidated by you."

The red femme bot glared at the yellow one.

"Chromelight, you're irritating."

"I'm _right,_ though, and I don't hear any denials coming from _you,_ Shadowdusk."

A ping hit their audios.

"Oh, look, someone actually needs to talk to us," Shadowdusk said brightly.

"Someone not our sisters. Look sharp," ordered Chromelight.

Shadowdusk straightened.

On the wall, a picture sprung up of a serious-looking mech with brilliant blue optics.

"I am Prowl, Autobot SIC. I was the sparkmate of Skyeride."

Shadowdusk nodded. "She did state she had sparkmated with a handsome mech before her death. I see she was not exaggerating. What is your question and why are you calling?"

"I wish to set up a meeting," Prowl said. "Between your leader and mine."

"Interesting," Shadowdusk mused. "You do not know who I am then."

"No, I do not," Prowl said.

"I am Shadowdusk, leader of the Prime Princesses. Where? And when?"

"If it would be acceptable, inside of Iacon and as soon as you arrive. I have heard many things about you, Shadowdusk Prime."

Shadowdusk nodded. "Many have. Is this a trap?"

"It is not. Optimus Prime wishes to meet you, and you may bring however many other Princesses you wish."

"Shadowdusk," Chromelight said, "we're bored, and this could be the _exact_ thing we need to _not _do what we did last time we were bored."

Shadowdusk threw her servos up in the air. _"For the last time, _you're the one who wanted to sneak into Kaon! Getting drunk off of _high-grade_ was _not_ my idea of a fun time." Shadowdusk glared at her sister.

"No, it was mine," she shrugged. "However, _you're _the one who decided starting a brawl was the best idea."

"I'm not going to argue with you anymore," Shadowdusk sighed. "You're _impossible_ when you're bored. Fine, yes, we'll meet the Prime in there. See you in two cycles."

"You think we can get in there in _two cycles?_ Wow, you're lowering your opinion of yourself," Chromelight said. "We can be there in _one_ cycle."

"Very well." The screen went dark.

"At least it's a challenge," Shadowdusk sighed.

~:~

One cycle later and there was a room filled with Autobots. All of them were waiting, on edge, and then the door opened to present a beautiful red, green, and black femme with a yellow, blue, and silver femme by her side.

"You almost presented a challenge for us," the red femme said in a sad tone. "I was hoping for more danger."

"Yeah, Kaon was way harder to slip into unnoticed," agreed the yellow femme. "And holy Primus, is that-?" She looked at the red femme, who followed the pointing digit and met Optimus' optics.

"Holy Primus, _you're_ the new Prime?" the femme blurted in shock.

"Shadowdusk. It has been a while," Optimus said to her.

"It has indeed, Orion-I mean, Optimus. Wow…" the femme seemed starstruck. "Well, uh, what exactly did you need?"

"We noticed what you did with the Energon bar," Ultra Magnus said. "We were wondering if you would join the side of the Autobots."

Shadowdusk looked at him for a second. Just stared. He shifted, clearly uneasy.

"The Prime Princesses prefer to remain unaffiliated," she said after making Ultra Magnus a little bit paranoid. Her unique green optics moved to meet Optimus'. "That being said, we do have plants inside Decepticon territory that are _not_ femmes," she said after another bot was about to say something. "We have brothers. We try to even out the score. Feeding information mostly to this side-"

"Which indicates you have some information leaking out to the Decepticons," Optimus interrupted.

"No, I have some information leaking out to neutrals who wish to not take a side," refuted the other Prime. "I have all information being processed through us. We try to keep a balance. Clearly, you're losing this war, and the Decepticons are winning if you look at the facts," Shadowdusk stated bluntly.

"Shadowdusk, making them angry isn't what we came here to do!" the yellow femme said in an annoyed tone.

"Shut up, Chromelight. Any way you look at it, we're losing and the most we can do is buy time," the femme Prime stated simply. "We're not going to win this war."

"Perhaps you are right," Optimus nodded. "But is it useless to keep fighting?"

Shadowdusk vented. "You all know that this is no longer a war of sides wanting power," she said to them. "This is about an energy supply that is going to run out. Some of my family have sacrificed themselves in this war." She looked at Prowl. "I know that a lot of Autobots have done the same. But this…this war is senseless and we try to limit the casualties. That is what my family does."

She vented again. "It would not be useless to keep on fighting. However, as long as Megatron is in power, I do not think that stopping the fight is ever going to happen."

"Megatron has shown he is ruthless and is not above cutting off the possibility of having new sparklings ready, even with the AllSpark," Chromelight continued. "So our move would be to protect the AllSpark."

"But that would mean going down to the _center_ of Cybertron!" Ultra Magnus said, sounding aghast.

"Yeah, the center is a boring place if you're there for decavorns," Shadowdusk commented idly. "Well, actually it's only boring if you have nobody else to talk to, otherwise it's peaceful."

"You say that as if you've been there," Ultra Magnus said suspiciously.

Shadowdusk tilted her helm. "Well, we don't take the title of 'Prime Princesses' just for fun, Ultra Magnus. We are the children of Primus, so yes, we were raised inside the center. Our unnatural optics show this. We were created with these optics."

There was a silence.

"Taking the AllSpark means we would have to risk _everything_ to get it offworld," Optimus said gravely. "And even then, the war would be lost."

"It would be worth it for the hope of our race, would it not be?" asked Shadowdusk in a wise tone.

"Will you join us, then?" Optimus questioned her.

Shadowdusk turned to Chromelight.

"I don't care," Chromelight said in an uncaring tone. "Whatever you decide, I will be there."

The Autobots watched with astonishment as Shadowdusk nodded at Optimus.

"I would be glad to work with another Prime," she told him.

Chromelight stood with her. "It would be an honor to work with you."

It was pure loyalty that Chromelight stuck with her sister.

A loyalty that could inspire anyone.

Well, maybe not Megatron…


	18. Chapter 18

"Sam!" Jayla said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Bumblebee wanted to come," he shrugged. "How's life on the base?"

"Eh," shrugged Jayla. "It's a soldier's life for me, why?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Sam laughed. "Just curious. Have you got a liaison?"

Jayla shrugged. "I don't know," she responded honestly. "The last time we had one, she turned out to be a traitor. She's gone now, though," she added, seeing Sam's appalled face. "So it's not a big deal. I have a mission soon, though so…"

"Right," he nodded. "See you, then."

"See ya!" Jayla jogged to her room and got her bag.

"You're not staying?" asked Figg with a small smile.

"Naw," Jayla replied. "Not a huge fan of family reunions. But I doubt he'll still be here when we get back."

~:~

Undercover operations were the few things Jayla hated about being in an ultra-secret part of the government that dealt with Decepticon threats. Elsa had to pose as a cousin coming in for a family reunion, Epps and Figg had to pretend to be brothers who had met Jayla through an online service, and Will and Jayla had to pretend to be married.

It was slightly awkward, as none of them could read English very well, so their research took hours of daylight and nighttime. And it was awkward for Will and Jayla-more so for Will, seeing as he actually _had_ a wife _and _a kid-to pretend to be married for that same reason.

Three weeks into their stay in India, there was a massive 'crystal' deposit all over the news. Then there was other news, as if they wanted to bury the crystal discoveries.

But Jayla _knew_ that if she dug deeper, she'd find something.

And she did. Decepticons were in the area, guarding that same 'crystal' deposit.

Jayla was on the phone within the hour of discovering that, making calls to both General Morshower and to NEST.

They headed out soon after the call was made, only to be ambushed.

~:~

"Jayla, the 'Con is on our tail! Could you hurry up?!" Lennox yelled through the radio.

"Kind of stuck," hissed Jayla. "One 'Con is twenty feet ahead of me. Energon readings higher than normal. Going in without any backup."

"Not true," a cool voice said, "I'll come with you."

"Elsa!" Jayla whisper-yelled. "You scared me half to death!"

"Impossible," dismissed the white-haired girl. "Let's go do this."

"Right." Jayla crawled out of her hiding spot. Then she ducked back in. "Yeah, uh, Will, is that 'Con still on your tail?"

"No," Will's breathless voice said. "But what exactly is the reading?"

"It's pure Energon," hissed Jayla. "Naturally-occurring pure Energon crystals. I was able to get a glance as I was leaving the hiding spot."

"Where's the plane with the 'Bots?" Will asked. Jayla closed her eyes and switched channels.

"Plane ETA?" she asked in a louder voice. The plane may have been in the air-

"Negative. Fuel leak."

Jayla took a deep breath, setting her head against the wall behind her, switching channels again. "Will, that's a negative on backup. We're on our own. Fuel leak."

Will swore. "We're on a mission that could kill us, with no backup, no way out!"

"Will, we used to do missions like this all the time. Still got your bow and arrows?"

"Yeah, I do," Will responded. "Figg and Epps are fine. Just winded. 'Con stopped chasing us after a while. Should we treat this like a demigod mission?"

"I don't see another choice," Jayla answered. "You _know_ we never have backup."

Will's sigh was heard. "Alright. See you soon."

"See you soon, and remember not to harm the Energon." Jayla put her radio down and looked at Elsa. "Alright. Powers, any magical items?"

"Wolves," she said helpfully.

Jayla nodded. "Yeah, but we can't separate them from our bodies…but I can change," she grinned. "My wolf can change into metal."

"Then do it," Elsa said, looking scared. "I've never done this before. Let's hurry."

Jayla nodded. Crawling out of the hiding space, she set out in a dead run as she urged one of her wolves to come to the surface.

Nightwalker obliged.

~:~

Nightwalker growled viciously.

"Did you hear that?" one 'Con asked.

_Despicable creatures,_ Nightwalker thought.

"Yeah," one growled. "But we have to wait until Starscream comes here."

_Shadowdusk should have ended __**that**__ pathetic excuse for a Decepticon decavorns ago,_ Nightwalker thought angrily as she stepped out.

"Holy Primus, it's a wolf-bot!"

"_You honor me,"_ Nightwalker said to them in Decepticon Cybertronian. _"But I'm actually a symbiont."_ She spotted Elsa touching a Decepticon, but it was light, so light and fleeting it didn't seem to matter. But Nightwalker noticed the little patches of ice starting to expand and crackle.

She tensed as Will appeared, a bow and arrow in his hand.

She growled lowly, and an arrow flew from his bow.

The 'Con turned-and Nightwalker leapt.

The 'Con's screams grated against her audios, and she leapt off when Will motioned a big 'boom' was going to happen.

She ripped through as many as she could. Three were frozen by Elsa, two had been the result of a big boom via Will's exploding arrows, and the last five had been killed by Nightwalker.

She thought fast and four mini lasers dropped from there spots.

"_Start using the lasers to cut the Energon. I'll contact Prime,_" she said to them in Ancient Greek. They started cutting big blocks-cutting small ones would only take time.

to Nightwalker.:

five minutes. What have you got?.:

:.A huge stash of Energon, Prime. It appears to be able to grow naturally on this planet. I would advise grabbing some simply to grow..:

:Have you given the humans lasers to work on harvesting it?.:

:We have incoming. ETA uncertain. Starscream was coming.:

:Two minutes. We'll be dropping in in one minute. Priority is the humans, not the Energon..:

:Prime, we _need _the Energon!.:

:My orders, until Shadowdusk says otherwise, are absolute, Nightwalker. Optimus out.:

She could hear them dropping in, but kept her optics to the sky. She spotted Starscream, but he apparently decided to leave when Optimus roared up, too much of a coward to do anything about it.

He transformed and surveyed the deposit, and he patted Nightwalker on the head. She growled at him, and he glanced at her.

"Thank you, Nightwalker. Please give Nightwalker her lasers back," he said to the humans.

The humans moved out of the pit and tossed Nightwalker the lasers back.

"Look, Mommy, a wolf!" a girl cried.

Nightwalker swung her (currently) metal head to see a mother clutching her daughter and looking fearfully at Nightwalker.

Nightwalker lay down on her belly, and closed her optics.

She felt a human hand on the muzzle part, and let it warm up slightly.

"Oh, Mommy, she can warm herself up!" cried the delighted child.

Nightwalker remembered when her Jayla was naïve and clueless to the nature of the worlds around her.

She missed those days, just snoozing in the girl's mind, only forced to leave once a full moon had arrived…

Ah, those were the days.

But now those days had fled, leaving only dark days ahead.

Nightwalker mentally shook her head and watched the woman, who had run away from them…leaving the girl by herself.

Nightwalker waited until the girl was on her head to lift it and quickly run over to the woman and stare at her with emerald optics.

"Take her, give her a better life!" exclaimed the woman.

"Mommy?" asked the girl as her mother ran away.

Nightwalker told Jayla quickly.

Jayla agreed, a little reluctant.

_Worst comes to worse, your mother might take her,_ suggested Nightwalker. _You'd just have to visit her more._

She could feel Jayla's obvious reluctance. She snickered at her human's discomfort, then spoke to the child in slightly mangled English.

"_What'z your name?"_ she asked the girl.

"Eliza," the child answered promptly. "My name is Eliza."


	19. Chapter 19

Jayla felt seriously uncomfortable in a nice dress. Will stood next to her in a tux, and General Morshower stood shaking hands and generally being very nice.

"Smile, Jayla," Will said, and Jayla pasted a grin on her face.

India had been a success. Well, what could be considered a success…one of the only few major successes they'd had during their tenure as NEST soldiers in the one, nearly two years they'd been in service.

Eliza was fairly well. Judy had taken well to another girl in the house, and Eliza loved every minute of it. Half the time when Jayla was on break and visiting her every time she had more than a week's worth vacation time in the past few months Eliza would jabber about all the interesting things she'd found (Oh, look, Mama, look at the grass necklace I've made!). And Eliza called her _mama,_ which was…surprising, to say the least.

In the past few months, Decepticon activity was getting more and more frequent. Now most of their 'I saw a giant metal alien' calls were genuine and not just prank calls. As a result, lots of damage had been done and since NEST was a secret military operation, Jayla and Will were there to get more money (for the damages, and hopefully so she could visit Eliza again soon).

A man with an eyepatch stood by the punch bowl, his scowl deterring anyone else from approaching him, and several other rich-looking men and their partners stood around, not all of them military, but enough of them knowing what went on behind the shadows.

A serious-looking man-Oliver Queen, if Jayla's memory was right-stood a little ways out, by the wall.

"I think I'll mingle," Jayla said through a stretched smile. She walked over to Queen, who smiled at her.

"Hi, Oliver Queen," he said, giving her a charming smile.

"Bite me," she said, her smile disappearing.

"Oh, you're a soldier," he nodded wisely. "Felt the burden of war?"

"Twice now," she said tensely. "I recognized the look."

He inclined his head. "I was alone on an island for five years. Doesn't do good on the psyche."

"I bet it doesn't," snorted Jayla. "Most of these rich people don't know what to do when their nose bleeds, let alone be calm enough to stitch or know how to cauterize a wound."

"_Most,_" Queen repeated. "But I do."

Jayla nodded. "Yeah, I heard about you, though I tend not to focus on TV much. I think _everyone's_ heard about how you came 'back from the dead' when barely anyone's done that, so I highly doubt you _actually_ died, though others were led to assume that."

"Nope, just on the brink of death," the heir smirked. "But I will give a donation to NEST. Maybe then they'll actually realize I'm not like Tony Stark."

Jayla shot a glance in the direction of said man.

"I think he'll donate, if not to just show off his wealth," she snorted.

Queen raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"

Jayla gave him a droll look. "He may have changed from what the tabloids thought of him as he's a freaking _superhero,_ but he hasn't changed _that_ much."

"Yeah, you're right," he nodded. "I never asked your name," he said suddenly. "You know mine, if you know what I've been through."

"Jayla," she introduced. "Major Jayla Witwicky, though I don't use my last name. I work alongside Major Will Lennox over there," she said, indicating Will, who was chatting up some rich ladies. She raised an eyebrow as she saw a hand grope him.

"Nice to meet you," he grinned. "Listen, you ever need my help fighting anything _other_ than giant metal aliens, call me." He scrawled a number on a napkin.

"I thought girls did that for _you,_" Jayla couldn't help but snort.

He flushed a little. "Actually, only _one,_" he said, as a blonde suddenly appeared, looking like she thought she was out of place. "And there she is. Felicity, this is Jayla Witwicky, and Jayla, this is my girlfriend Felicity Smoak."

"Yo," Jayla greeted. "Not a rich witch, just for your information."

Felicity snorted. "Neither am I," she chuckled. "But…is your hair really that red? Is the stereotype of an angry redhead true?"

Felicity blushed, but Jayla chuckled good-naturedly.

"Yes, and for me, yes," Jayla responded, a small smile on her face. "Thank you for the number and the talk. And don't worry," she added to Felicity as she frowned, "that small idiotic blush on his face probably indicates that it's either hot in here, or he just saw the hottest thing in the room when he laid eyes on you."

Jayla was very blunt and generally hated to speak riddles. Sure, she had an attitude, but that was generally only if her emotions were high and she used sarcasm to anger her opponent, or her anger to fuel her fire. She tried to be…pleasant…but she just wasn't comfortable in front of other people that weren't in uniform.

Felicity reddened, and so did Oliver. Jayla smirked, satisfied that her work was done, and spun around, only to catch the bald guy with the eyepatch's attention.

She took a deep breath, then walked over to him.

"Nick Fury," she greeted. "Director of SHIELD."

She knew of _him,_ all right.

Mostly because SHIELD and NEST weren't exactly on solid ground with each other yet. Fury had demanded that the Autobots be given to him. NEST as one had refused.

The humans had pretty much given an unanimous 'no' to Fury's face and the Autobots shrouded in even more mystery. And despite Fury tracking the Autobots down first, once faced with the biggest Autobot in the entire group he'd backed down _quick_ and also handed over the other Autobot they'd had in custody.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker hadn't trusted NEST for…well, they still didn't trust NEST completely.

But they were Autobots, and Jayla hadn't actually met him face-to-face. But she'd heard descriptions-only after her talk with Oliver Queen did the name float up.

"Jayla Witwicky," he said to her. "Or is it still Witwicky?"

"I dropped my last name," Jayla replied coolly. "I took a friend's." Will had _demanded_ she take his last name. Basically he was pseudo-adopting her as his sister. Apparently his wife was fond of Jayla and Jayla had yet to meet her oldest friend's wife. She'd allowed Oliver to say her old one. It reminded her she was still part of the Witwicky 'clan', if only because Ron treated her like a daughter.

He hadn't been hurt, rather he'd been understanding about it.

"I see." Fury looked at her. "I have done my research on you, just so you know. You have an interesting talent, one that would be useful on a team I'm putting together. Of course, you'd be a backup since you don't work for SHIELD. Still, you're a good candidate."

He was hinting at her.

"Look, sir," she said to him, recognizing him as a superior officer, but still on equal footing with him, "I have authority problems and my _talent_ comes with certain side-effects. I'm only here for the money, and if I have to sweet-talk someone into giving me money, then I'll do it. I'll be your backup on your team. Just give a donation to NEST."

She smiled at him, and walked away from him.

She met up with Will.

"How many have you got?" she asked him under her breath.

"Three. All of them women. Sarah's not going to be happy. You?"

"Oliver Queen and hopefully Nick Fury of SHIELD. I'm going to go try Stark."

"Alright."

They parted ways.

Jayla walked over to Stark, who was currently sipping his champagne. His date, Virginia 'Pepper' Potts, smiled at Jayla.

"Hi, are you here to ask Tony about his suit?"

"No," Jayla replied. "It's a genius feat of engineering," she informed them. She'd seen the specs. "Though, I have to say the chip in your reactor is fallible."

He paused. "You've seen specs of my arc reactor?"

Jayla chuckled sheepishly. Leo had…well. He'd sort of bought the specs when they were being sold on the black market from Obadiah Stane. They'd been erased, but Leo had drawn them and recreated it, sending some to Jayla-although Jayla barely knew him, he sent her a lot of specs on a lot of items.

"My half-brother bought them from Mr. Stane," she told him. He looked angry, but she hurriedly continued. "He only bought them because it was awesome! I mean, who could have _ever thought _to use an element to keep a person alive? Mr. Stark, you create things of utter _genius_ and I just think you're really, really awesome!" she finished in a rush.

"Why would you say the chip in my reactor is fallible?" Stark asked instead.

"Oh!" Jayla said, surprised. "Well, it's palladium, right?" He nodded. "You'll eventually get palladium poisoning, unless you want to create an entirely new element to stabilize it indefinitely. All the others would either kill you or make you die faster."

Stark looked shocked.

"How old are you?" he asked.

Jayla blinked.

"Um…Twenty-two?" she figured. She hadn't really kept track of her birthdates, not with all the crap going on.

He clapped her shoulder.

"Tell you what. I'll donate, you should give me a call every now and then," he said to her. Jayla grinned and the redhead smiled at her.

"You managed to impress him," she said, looking impressed herself as Stark moved through the crowd. "I'm impressed. We're going to start building in New York soon. Come by when it's done!"

She left after him.

Will came up to Jayla's shoulder.

"Got his financial support?" he asked her.

Jayla beamed at him.

"And a welcome to call at any time!" she said to him. "Leo's going to be so jealous!"

Will shook his head. "You contact your brother, but not anyone else at Camp?"

That made Jayla pause.

She _should_ call Meda soon…

"After one more mission," she promised. _"Then_ I'll call."

Will rolled his eyes playfully. "Yeah, you'll procrastinate and then never call," he said, smirking a little. "Meda will kick your-"

"I know," Jayla said, going a little pale. "If I put it off for a few months, she'll kick my butt. If I don't, _she'll_ call and kick my butt."


	20. Chapter 20

"Everyone, meet your new liaison. Theodore Galloway."

Jayla shifted as the balding man's eyes swept over the soldiers who'd gone on the Shanghai op. Yeah, she realized that it'd been a mess. Half of Shanghai had been destroyed.

Her new friend and new recruit, Sunshine Riley Archen, stood next to her proudly. Bee and her had become fast friends after he'd rescued her. Then Barricade (who was now an ex-con, having defected after Megatron tried to kill him after failing) tried and failed to kill her. Sunny-as she went by that-seemed to light up a room.

Unfortunately, Jayla couldn't speak in contempt of the man. Her throat had been nearly crushed by the Decepticon 'Bonecrusher' along with nearly every other bone in her body. She was on crutches (to Ratchet's protest, but Jayla had painfully written 'I need to be there', and even Ratchet seemed to know _nothing _would change her mind.

"_These_ soldiers are the ones that made it out of Shanghai?" asked an incredulous Galloway, staring at her.

"She was thrown off a Decepticon about two times as tall as Optimus, and about three times Optimus' width, sir," Lennox said with hard eyes. "She was trying to melt him."

"Ah, she's that flamethrower girl. The freak in the group."

Optimus seemed to scowl as he shifted into his bipedal mode.

"Jayla Lennox has always done what she can and beyond in the line of duty," Optimus said, his deep voice rolling through the hangar. "She has showed far greater honor in the line of duty than I have ever seen in your race, and for that, she has earned my respect."

Galloway looked incredulous. "Really?" he asked, skepticism in his voice. "Well, whatever. You all made a mess of Shanghai, and the President is angry."

Jayla glanced at Elsa, who touched her hand.

Nightwalker spoke through her to Elsa and her wolves.

_NEST has jurisdiction over aliens. The President, however, does not._

"Sir," Elsa said, making Galloway turn, "NEST has jurisdiction over aliens. The President, however, does not. And even if he did, he has no jurisdiction over the Autobots under the Autobot Cooperation Act."

"What's your name, soldier?" he asked with a scowl.

"Captain Elsa Varima, sir." She didn't salute him, which made him glare. "Also cited under the ACA was the clause that any damage due to Autobot-Decepticon fighting would be repaired with our own funds from our own sources."

"And that clause gives you reason to cause damage _everywhere?"_ Galloway retorted. He faced the Prime. "For all the knowledge you have given us, you still have not shared the knowledge of your weaponry with us."

"Not with you," Optimus said. "Only with those who my Autobots agree have earned our trust. Humans cause far more damage with your own weapons. Your capacity for war is precisely the reason we do not share our advancements in weaponry."

"Why not send these soldiers to the front lines of normal battles?"

Jayla painfully spoke.

"Sir." Galloway looked at her. "Have you ever been in a situation-" She paused and coughed. She felt something warm in her throat. "-where you have to decide-" She coughed again. Elsa come over, but Jaya waved her away. "-whose life you save?"

Galloway shook his head impatiently.

"I have." Jayla resolutely ignored the tickle in her throat. "And it's a decision nobody should have to make. We fight Decepticons with the Autobots not because we owe them, but because they are far older than we shall ever be." Jayla coughed again. "We shed sweat, blood, and precious metal together. If you imagine ending a Decepticon threat is easier than ending a human one, you're dead wrong. All life-alien or not-is precious." She coughed quite a bit more, and Elsa placed a hand on her throat.

"You say that as if you _like _them." Galloway's words made her frown. "You like the Decepticons, then?"

Jayla turned to look at Optimus, and he was watching as she smirked mirthlessly.

"Galloway, they're alive, and alien or not, _all life is precious _to me. So go shove a pineapple up your aft."

She waited as Galloway clenched his fists and some of the other soldiers snickered.

Galloway turned to Optimus.

"Is there a reason why you haven't served us Megatron's head on a plate?"

Optimus glared at him. "I assume you ask out of concern for how the war might end." His tone made it clear that he didn't appreciate what Galloway was insinuating.

"No. I'm asking because I'm beginning to wonder what's taking you so long to finish this war, once and for all, and get off this planet."

"Galloway is getting out of hand," Sunny hissed. She may have been a new soldier, but even _she_ seemed to know that basically saying Optimus was _letting _Megatron win this war was a bunch of utter crap.

"The Decepticons have been on this planet far longer than any of us have suspected," returned the giant metal alien in a grave tone. "They have assets, assets we cannot employ. Government leaders among them."

"With the AllSpark gone, shouldn't they have lost interest in this planet?" Galloway questioned.

Again, Jayla's eyes met Optimus' optics, which seemed to dim.

"This planet is one of the few that we thought held little value to the Decepticons. Certainly it held little interest before the AllSpark landed here," he replied rather quickly. "With the AllSpark lost-" Not entirely untrue, as the AllSpark _had_ let a few shards come off, yet Jayla had the feeling they weren't under NEST authority, and also it was 'lost' in the sense 'out of your reach' "-we thought they would leave. However, Bonecrusher had a warning to give us." He pressed something, and Bonecrusher's voice came clearly through.

'_**The Fallen shall rise again.'**_

"The Fallen?" Galloway asked, looking a little scared. "Who is the Fallen?"

Optimus shuttered his optics. "Among my people, it was thought to simply be a tale to scare sparklings," he told everyone. "There were the Thirteen who harvested suns."

"Like…blow them up?" Sunny asked in a suddenly scared voice. Well, her dad _did _drive the sun across the sky…well, it was actually a chariot, and he kind of shared the duty with other gods. So it's not as if whatever this was would _actually _destroy the chariot, but it _might_.

"Yes," Optimus said, still in a grave tone. "They set out with one rule."

_Never destroy a planet with life._

"Never destroy a planet with life. One defied that rule. His name was lost to history, so he was simply called 'the Fallen'."

"However," Ironhide said gruffly, "I would not be too worried."

"Why not?" demanded Galloway.

"The Fallen's locked on Cybertron," he replied moodily.

Optimus looked at him sharply.

"You knew of this?"

"Until just now, it never occurred to me that that person was the thing all sparklings feared. Well, one of the things," he amended.

_The other's Unicron, in case you forgot,_ Nightwalker helpfully said.

_I never even knew!_ Jayla thought back with a touch of anger.

_That information's __**important.**_

Nightwalker retreated.

Ironhide continued. "He was in deep stasis when I was told to guard him."

"You knew but Optimus didn't?" scoffed Galloway. "What, were you on the side of Decepticons?"

Ironhide inspected his cannons.

Galloway's face went bloodless, but before he could accuse Ironhide, Optimus intervened.

"Ironhide has earned my trust," he said, slight anger in his voice. "And it was on our planet, way before the war turned truly dark. Will you continue to question the trust that has been earned long before anyone on this planet was born, or will you finish this briefing so that I may leave?"

"Fine," Galloway snarled. " The only thing the Decepticons would possibly want is you! The Autobots. If we ask you to leave, would you and your Autobots leave…peacefully?"

"Freedom is your right," Optimus said slowly. "If you make that request, we will honor it."

Galloway smirked.

But Optimus wasn't done.

"But," he said, pointing a digit at the man, "what if we leave…_and you're wrong?"_

Jayla snorted at that.

_He has a point,_ Nightshadow pointed out.

_I know, but I can't talk right now._

"That's a good question," Will said, smirking.


	21. Chapter 21

"I told you not to talk!" chided the medic Autobot, glaring at his charge. "No talking! _At any time!_ Now you're in for a _long_ recovery time!"

"Nope," Sunny said with a sunny grin. "I can heal her. Will, ambrosia and nectar. Now."

Ratchet scowled heavily as the major did as Sunny requested.

Painfully, Jayla swallowed the nectar. It tasted like Judy's lovely iced tea.

Which reminded Jayla, Bee was going to Sam's. She had to go with.

Almost instantly, she started to feel better. Sunny's eyes were literally _glowing_, but Jayla didn't have much fear of her.

She was _healing_ Jayla.

"Done!"

~:~

Jayla leaned against the car as Sam walked out of his party, her fatigues rumpled and circles under her eyes.

"Jayla!" he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Prime wants to see you," she said gruffly. People were staring, and a kid Sam's age came out with a dumb look on his face.

"Dude, you have a car?"

"No, it's hers," Sam said flatly, pointing at Jayla. "She's my military sister."

Jayla smirked at them, but it was tired.

"You're the girl who was flung down by that giant robot!"

Jayla's head whipped over at Sam's.

"Dude, she was in Japan, not China," Sam snarled.

"I _was_ in Japan," she said slowly. "I just got back. Anyway, sorry for stealing him." She put her shades on and opened the car door.

Sam glared at her.

"Why does Optimus want to speak with me?" he asked her. "I haven't been there all summer."

"Yeah, well, the Prime and I haven't been speaking," she said, glancing at Sam. "I've been busy with Ironhide lately. I just saw Prime today and in Shanghai, and a few weeks ago on another op. And what's this I hear about _China?"_

"Jayla…everything about Shanghai's online. I could have sworn you were dead! Everyone thought you were, at least," he added. "Did you really-"

"Sam!"

Sam looked abashed. "Right. So how have things been?"

Jayla slumped. She could say anything she wanted to Sam; after all, he was the one Optimus first sought out. "Things are…bad," she sighed. "More and more Decepticons are coming out of the woodwork, after some old imprisoned guy, Barricade defected-no Autobot casualties so far. Optimus really does like to train his soldiers. Decepticon drones are coming faster and faster, and I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. Uh, Ironhide's been leading the missions since Optimus has been roped into meeting after meeting and we haven't chatted, I can't go to the store without having to leave the base, and I'm only here because this is my first real break in ages." She sighed and massaged her forehead. "It wouldn't be too bad if we were winning."

Sam's gaze went to the window, then he sighed.

"Your troubles seem monumental compared to mine."

"Yeah, well, I'm a soldier and I knew it wasn't going to be easy." Sam rummaged through his bag, and then he fumbled.

"Crap." Something dropped on the floor and it seemed to jolt Bee.

Jayla reached for it, not heeding Sam's panicked words of 'don't touch it!'.

She grabbed it, and instantly she felt a burning sensation in her mind.

~:~

"_Hello, youngling."_

_Jayla looked around. She saw twelve figures around her. Huge and shadowy. A ruined, metallic landscape was around them._

"_Where am I?"_

"_You know."_

_Jayla had already guessed. "Cybertron."_

_The one speaking seemed to nod. "I am one of the Twelve Primes. You seek answers."_

"_I do," Jayla said, though it was barely audible. "Tell me…why must I bear the burden of holding the wolves in my mind, the AllSpark in my chest, and a curse that I think is ridiculous?"_

"_You have no curse, for the one you have loved is the one you will love. The AllSpark was always your burden, and your wolves are your symbionts. You are one of us, and one of them. Your Sunshine has made her peace with this already. Tell me, Jayla, what do you know of Primes?"_

_Jayla bit her lip._

"_Not much," she finally answered. "Just that they usually are followers of Primus, your deity, and the fact you all seem to have the suffix –us as part of your name."_

_What sounded like laughter came from the circle._

"_That is true," he agreed, for all but one. Sentinel Prime and Shadowdusk Prime."_

"_That's two!" objected Jayla._

"_Ah, but Shadowdusk is, along with Optimus, is among the select few who were chosen by Primus. Sentinel was not. Megatronus was."_

_Twelve…the Fallen…Megatron…_

"_Megatron found the last former Prime's name and used it." Jayla's voice was a whisper. "Are both…evil?"_

"_Evil…perhaps not. The Fallen does not like organics."_

"_Yeah, neither does my dad," Jayla snorted._

"_Indeed." The voice was solemn. "Jayla. You are a femme. Among all of us, there has only been one femme Prime, and that is Shadowdusk."_

_It clicked._

"_But I can't be!" Jayla said, her mind racing. "I just…"_

_Nightwalker's remarks. Nightshadow's sudden easy acquiescence to follow Jayla's commands._

"_Why?" she whispered. "Why am I Shadowdusk?"_

"_You will know after you have truly accepted it. For now…let these memories of your previous life guide you."_

~:~:~:~:~

A REALLY LONG TIME AGO…

"So. Leader of the Autobots," Shadowdusk said after being admitted into Optimus' office. "Big title for an ex-Hall of Records bot."

"The Hall of Records is still here in Iacon if you want to visit," Optimus said to her. "It has been a long time, old friend."

"I'm not old," she said to him. At his look, she vented. "Okay, I'm older than most…okay, everyone," she finally said. "Not the Thirteen, though."

Optimus only shuttered his optics and went back to his work…whatever that was.

"Is there a singular reason you wished to speak with me?" he finally questioned her.

"Yes," she replied with a small sigh. "I wanted you to know something."

He set his data pad down and gave her his attention.

"I have to be the one to go to the center to get the AllSpark."

"Why?"

"Because there isn't anybot else that I'm going to trust with this mission," she replied softly. "I barely even trust myself."

Her tone revealed how _lost _the femme was.

"I will follow you." Optimus' words seemed to jolt her.

"I could not ask that of you."

"I am not asking." His tone was steady, sure.

"Thank you, old friend."

~:~

The journey to the Core was long and dangerous. Since the Core was between Iacon and Kaon, Decepticons patrolled often. Occasionally Shadowdusk would send her symbionts as scouts, and they'd return rather quickly-Nightwalker's acidic green optics glowing brighter, and Nightshadow's vivid amethyst optics shining just as bright.

They arrived at the Center, where walls had been built because it _was_ a sacred place. No guards lined the walls, but Shadowdusk confidently stopped the small company. Chromelight simply nodded at her spark-twin, and looked at the mechs.

"Turn away. Prime, you'll have to remove some of your armor. Take off the pieces with your weapons."

Optimus had paused, but then there was a clang and Chromelight remarked, "So does Shadowdusk."

_That _was an embarrassing moment.

Optimus made certain to keep his optics off of Shadowdusk as she moved ahead of him, fire appearing out of nowhere.

They went down, deep into the planet. They went the way entirely in silence.

Then they came to a door set in the floor.

Optimus almost questioned what to do next, but then-

"I am Shadowdusk Prime. I seek an audience with Primus. My companion is the current Prime, Orion Pax, or Optimus Prime. He seeks an audience with Primus."

The door opened, and blue light washed over them.

Shadowdusk placed a servo in the hole, and fire lit up a small ladder that would just barely fit Optimus.

Quickly, the duo made their way into the cavernous chamber, and it felt like Optimus' spark was eased the further he traveled.

After a time, his pedes met a surface, and Shadowdusk stood at attention.

Respectfully, he averted his optics before they turned to her chassis.

_You are respectful. I am glad that I chose wisely._ Amusement was in that tone. _I believe you have come to me for a reason, Optimus Prime and Shadowdusk._

"Yes, Father." Shadowdusk knelt. "We feel a shift is coming in the war."

_Shadowdusk…you know the result already._

Primus' words left Optimus reeling.

"I said nothing, Father. Just as you requested."

_And you, the most stubborn, have surpassed my expectations._ Again, amusement seemed to color Primus' words. _I advise you to not pry into what knowledge I have given to her, Optimus Prime. It would only serve to hinder you. Knowing the future is never a good thing, and I placed the burden of much on my daughter's servos. However, I will relinquish the AllSpark._

_Treat it well, and return it to me in…__**good**__ condition if possible. If you bring back nothing…well…let's just say I do not truly wish to have to create a new AllSpark._

The Cube appeared.

_And, if one is worthy, one shall-one day-find the Matrix. Be on guard, for pain follows you._

_Leave, Optimus Prime. I will have words with my daughter._

The obvious dismissal, such as it was, did not diminish Optimus' awe.

When Shadowdusk came out, Chromelight shoved her lightly.

"Dad give you a hard time? Or did he talk to you about safety precautions concerning a certain mech?" teased the femme.

There was a small silence as the femme stood still.

"I will not elaborate," Shadowdusk said firmly, though everyone heard the embarrassment.

"Oh, come on! I'm bored-"

"You're _always _bored!"

"-and I think even Optimus wants to hear the details!"

"You act like a sparkling, you know? You're not supposed to act like it's not important! You act like the sun's supposed to rise at any second!"

"I know, right? In my next life I'm going to be known as Sunny!"

The mechs around them listened as the femmes bickered, the AllSpark nowhere in sight. Optimus trusted she had it.

~:~

"Where is the AllSpark?" demanded Ultra Magnus.

"Safe."

"You won't tell us where you hid it?"

Shadowdusk glared. "If I did, you'd be _highly_ embarrassed for you lack of decorum."

"Hiding information such as this is paramount to treason," Ultra Magnus pointed out.

Shadowdusk vented, then looked down at the table as if in shame and mumbled something.

Chromelight next to her, laughed lowly.

"What?" asked Ultra Magnus.

"In my _chassis,_" snarled the Prime Princess.

Oh. Not shame, then. Embarrassment.

The mechs averted their optics as they realized what she meant.

"Your chassis is hardly big enough," said Prowl.

Shadowdusk nodded. "It isn't," she agreed, not too mad. But then…Prowl had been spark-mated to her spark-sister. "It's inside my spark."

"The energy output would offline you," Ratchet remarked.

"If I was an ordinary Cybertronian, yes, it would," she replied. "However, seeing as my _father_ gave me the AllSpark, there is little doubt that it wouldn't kill me."

She left before anything else could be said, and the rest of the mechs spoke of less important facts.

~:~

Shadowdusk and Optimus were ambushed on one patrol some ways outside of Iacon. Not too far, but not too close either. Too far meant backup would be too late, too close and mechs would be all over Shadowdusk, and neither Shadowdusk nor Optimus wanted that.

Shadowdusk because her spark was made for _Optimus _(though that mech really didn't know…), and Optimus because _his_ spark was wanting Shadowdusk to himself, unknowing that it was foretold by Primus himself that the two would sparkmate one cycle.

Shadowdusk _tried_ to keep her distance, but seeing as she couldn't stop her spark from jumping every time she looked at Optimus, it was kind of hard when they ended up staring at each other in the same room (with Chromelight nudging her to get her attention and laughing at her every time they left the same room…).

Anyway, the two were ambushed by Decepticons, and Optimus finally saw how lethal the Princesses were in a fight. While Jayla was the oldest, she wasn't the strongest fighter in her family. But there was little doubt that Chromelight held some of that same fighting spark as she did as she fluidly moved from the one _being_ attacked to _attacking._ Fire exploded from her Energon blade, and she neatly sliced a Decepticon in half.

Quickly, Optimus took out his blade, and cut off the Energon blaster from his foe's frame. Together, the duo were back-to-back, and Shadowdusk sounded a little…_put out_ when she spoke.

"I was having such a nice patrol, too," she murmured.

There was a sort of a standoff-then, Shadowdusk's heat output against Optimus' frame started getting higher, and he made his move.

Too rashly, it seemed.

One of their Energon bullets hit him soon after he'd gone forward. There was a wordless scream of rage, and two identical growls ripped the air.

Optimus stood, and Shadowdusk was instantly in his field of vision.

"Are you okay?"

"I am fine," he replied slowly after a quick diagnostics check. "It did not hit an Energon line, though I should go back to Ratchet."

"Go to Sunny," advised Shadowdusk. "She's not staying behind on most patrols for the mechs to try to bond with her. She's getting _bored._"

"You say that as if it is a terrible thing," Optimus stated seriously.

"It is," nodded Shadowdusk. "Any damage the 'Cons can do? She can do _worse_ when she's bored."


	22. Chapter 22

Jayla woke up with a hurting neck and memories of a life she hadn't lived. Or had. Her mind was filled with new information…recollection…and she had a feeling she hadn't seen them all quite yet.

Oh, and Sam shaking her.

"'M awake," she yawned. "Super rush. How did Sunny deal?"

"What?" Sam asked, sounding completely lost.

Jayla waved it away. "Never mind," she dismissed. Her mind raced, though.

_Symbionts. AllSpark. Thirteen Primes. Fallen. Must be an energy source, which means the Matrix __**and**__ the tomb of the Primes is here somewhere. I'll have to take a vacation, use up the last of my two months' leave. Frag._ Jayla sighed and rubbed her forehead. She noticed she had the shard that had been shaved off the AllSpark gripped tightly within her hand. "You brought a shard of the AllSpark with you, Sam?"

"Look, more fragments must have rubbed off on my sweatshirt than I realized, okay?" snapped Sam. "Now I'm seeing these weird symbols everywhere."

Jayla couldn't ask, because Bumblebee pulled into the cemetery Optimus had wanted to meet at. Kind of gloomy, but it was _Optimus._ He probably realized it was pretty much the only location where nobody would sneak up on them.

"Sam," he greeted. Jayla walked a little ways away and leaned against a marble tombstone. Bee rolled away, and Jayla took out a harmonica. She played well enough that it wouldn't bother Sam or Optimus or Bee. "The biggest fragment of the AllSpark has been stolen."

"Okay?" Sam asked, looking up at Optimus. "How does that concern me?"

Jayla trilled even lower on the harmonica, eyes flicking to meet Optimus' optics.

She glanced at Sam, away from _his_ gaze.

_Your heart is yours…and his,_ noted Nightwalker as Optimus and Sam spoke. _This is always how it was, and how it __**must**__ be. Your sparks are each others', knowingly or not._

_So basically I don't have a choice,_ Jayla thought to her, her harmonica giving off a brief high-pitched sound before she took it from her lips and it melted in her hand, and she crushed it rather savagely.

_No._ Nightwalker's voice was calm. _You never had a choice._

Jayla scowled ferociously. But the anger soon melted. _But I'm not Shadowdusk yet,_ she thought with hope.

_You idiot, you __**are**__ her, yet you are Jayla. You're both, in a sense. But I highly doubt you can just pick and choose __**who**_ _you are. Stop lying to yourself. You get to remember your first life. Understand?_

_I don't think I can accept it right now,_ she told Nightwalker in a hushed thought. _I…need to remember __**everything.**_

Nightwalker assured her she would, and Jayla opened her eyes and shook off the remainder of her harmonica.

~:~

"Sam, fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing," Optimus said to the young human. He understood humans were different, but he needed Sam to act as liaison-_not_ Galloway. " I doubt this is such a moment when it is the other way around." He paused, allowing it to sink in.

"I'm normal! I have a good girlfriend, nice roommates, and I'm in _college!_ You're Optimus Prime, you don't need me!" he exclaimed.

Sam started to walk away.

"We do," Optimus said. "More than you know."

"I could do it," offered Jayla. He turned his optics to the human femme. "I may be a soldier, but too few have been heard. Plus, soldiers are always the best ones to get the job done right, no?"

_Soldiers are what we need, Prime! They get the job done,_ Shadowdusk had yelled once when he'd refused to send more Autobots on the front lines. _They don't mess up. Even __**you**__ have to admit the High Council was a __**terrible**__ idea. It just led to more bickering and less __**doing.**_

He could see a lot in Jayla of his sparkmate.

He agreed with her.

"Go back to base," he told her. "I shall arrive soon."

~:~

Terrible foreboding hit Jayla as she left. She was back at the base, laughing at some random joke when she paused, a coldness going through her, a coldness that was akin to losing her fire.

"Jayla?" Sunny grabbed her attention. Her eyes were worried. Jayla chuckled a bit wildly.

"Guess I was right," she snorted. "You _are_ called Sunny nowadays."

Shock flashed over Sunny's face, but no confusion.

Jayla collapsed.

~:~

"_Use the shard on him, Jayla."_

"_But what's wrong with me?"_

"_Your spark cries out."_

"_I have no spark yet," she told the Thirteen._

"_Not yet. Soon, you will."_

~:~

When Jayla woke up…she remembered. _Everything._ From the first dawn of awareness, to meeting Orion Pax, to re-meeting him as Optimus Prime, the other Primes chosen then…and her own death.

Sunny was looking at her anxiously, her eyes filled with sadness.

She was in an empty hangar, and she knew.

She _knew._

"No."

"I'm sorry," Sunny whispered.

Jayla's heart wrenched almost painfully, and she started to shake.

Sunny grasped her arms.

The Cube seemed to pulse within her, and Nightwalker and Nightshadow stretched from their confinement.

_Finally._

Fire blazed all around her.

~:~

Shadowdusk opened her green optics with confusion. Chromelight was inspecting her servos with curiosity.

"I had forgotten what it was like to be like this," she mused.

"So had I," Shadowdusk nodded. She finally accepted it.

She was Jayla, and she was Shadowdusk Prime.

"Do you think Metachrome is around here?"

Shadowdusk nodded her helm.

"All of us are," she replied. "In a different form. I've learned that much from my memory. I'll message Ironhide."

It hurt, to finally _remember_ and have Optimus _gone_ already.

:Shadowdusk Prime to Ironhide.:

There was an indefinite pause, until, impatient, Shadowdusk practically _growled_ and messaged him again.

:Yes, I was dead by Lockdown, I was Jayla, now I'm in a lone hangar and I'm pretty sure I can hear you loading your cannons.:

The hangar doors opened. Automatically, soldiers fanned out, but paused.

Ironhide carefully stepped in, staring.

"Well, this is unexpected."

Shadowdusk stood.

"I know," she nodded shortly. "As a Prime, I will take command while Optimus is…" she trailed off. _Offline._ "Not around," she finished.

The Arcee triplets peeked around and stared.

Elita-1, Chromia, and Arcee were probably happy to see more femmes there.

"You're not a threat?" Will asked. "Your optics…" he paused.

"My optics are green, yes," she said, looking down at him. "I assure you, I shall only be here as long as Optimus is not." She walked out. She could tell the other Autobots there were shocked, too, but she tried not to let it hurt her. She'd been in a tiny human form, after all.

She spotted Optimus' broken form lying on the pavement.

"And why were you in our hangar?" asked the annoying human, Galloway.

With a burst of fire she was human again and slamming a fist into his face.

"Ah," she said to nobody in particular. "That felt _good._"


	23. Chapter 23

"You're Jayla. And a Prime." Jayla raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Yes. Still a demigod." She flicked her hand and the nearest pile of unneeded paperwork burst into flames and was quelled instantly, a small pile of charred ash. "But I'm both now. I remember. Optimus was my sparkmate."

"And that is?"

"The Cybertronian equivalent of a husband," she replied. She noted the flicker in his eyes, and she bit her lip. Ever since the…_confession_ after getting Sunny to relative safety (Barricade had found them soon afterwards), Will had acted…_different._ "And right now I'm hooked into the World Wide Web, and I'm still wondering why you haven't told me about Sam being on the world's most wanted list."

"How did you know about that?" Galloway demanded.

Jayla flicked a dismissive gaze at him.

"Don't underestimate me."

She stood and paced, the stance of a confidant military leader.

"I may not have remembered my previous life and I may have tolerated your previous attitude, Theodore Galloway, but no longer. I am not one of your soldiers. Do not treat me like one." Her sharp tone coupled with flashing eyes made her seem unreal. Even the Autobots looked at her with clear respect. "Our way is clear. There is one thing that could _possibly_ resurrect Optimus."

"Why do you need Optimus when they have you?" Galloway asked snidely.

"Do you want to keep your tongue?" asked Sunny in a bright and sunny tone.

"…Yes," Galloway gulped.

"Then _shut up_."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Shadowdusk," Ratchet said slowly. "You're not possibly-?"

"I am," she said firmly. "I am talking of the one item the Thirteen sealed away on this planet." She looked at Galloway. "The Matrix of Leadership. Used to power an Energon Harvester. Give me a minute."

She took out her cell phone.

"Thank Primus, you're alright. Who's with you?" She nodded. "He's crazy, but I guess he's a good ally to have. Who took you through the groundbridge?" There was a pause. "You _idiot,_ he's yanking your chain. He transported you through space. But on the same planet. There's not enough power for a single Cybertronian to transport you through a Spacebridge." She paused again, then nodded. "Alright, I had an idea. Has Jetfire told you of the Matrix? Yeah, it does, but it's actually…probably not possible. Yeah, I'll tell you everything when we meet again, but for right now, _find the Matrix_. No. You can't. Put it in a sock if it disintegrates." There was another pause. "Sam, it's been missing for thousands of years-only the Thirteen know where it is, and the Fallen can't get to it right now because he's _on his way._ So shut up and hurry up! Also, I think most people are fans of the Yankees, you know? Well," she amended at Sam's yell, "just take my advice. Can't hurt, you know? Yeah, love you too. Bye."

She hung up.

"Jetfire is online," she said, speaking to the Decepticons. "He helped Sam. I think it would be in my own best interest to stay in human form."

"Why?" Galloway asked sharply.

"So I don't die, idiot," she said to him in a 'duh' sort of voice. "Megatron would have my head if I were to tell everyone I was Shadowdusk. If he doesn't know, secret weapons." She indicated Sunny and herself. "As of right now, only three Prime Princesses exist. Soon, there will no longer simply be three; there will be _all_ of us. Now, we should get started. We need to meet Sam in Egypt."

~:~

"Are you certain, Lennox?" Morshower asked, addressing Jayla.

"Yes, General," Jayla said with respect. "It is in our best interest. When you arrive at base-presuming I come back unscathed-I will tell you everything. However, with audios in orbit I highly doubt telling you everything would be wise."

He nodded his permission.

"Continue with your plan," he ordered them. "Is Galloway going with you?"

"Yes, sir," Jayla said with the barest hint of a smirk. The screen went dark.

She turned to the other people on base.

"Ready to put our necks on the line again?" she asked.

"Obviously," Will smiled. "Kind of like old days, isn't it? Demigods with a demigod pilot."

"Except we have backup if this goes sideways," Jayla smirked. Her heart lurched when she recalled that innocent child killed because of her mistake.

_That won't happen again,_ she vowed.

~:~

"Galloway. You come and we're going to bailout," Sunny said with a nasty smirk. "You're not a soldier, which means…_you can't come."_

"What? But-"

"If you don't want to be dropped off in the safest zone, which would incidentally be the US, then I suggest you shut up and stay put," Jayla snapped at him, stressed out as she filled out some last-minute paperwork. She set the pen down and leveled a glare at him. "You're not allowed to come if there's a chance of fighting, Galloway. You may have operational command of the soldiers, but I give the word and the demigods will follow _me._"

Actually, that would probably not happen, but the threat seemed to work wonders.

Galloway walked off, _pouting._

Which was just wrong.

"Ready?" Will asked.

"Definitely," she replied, walking onto the plane.

With a few last-minute adjustments, Jayla looked at Sunny, who nodded.

"Everyone, I'm Sunshine Riley Archen, call me Sunny or Sunshine and you die," Sunny added as an afterthought, "and Jayla has to contact the other Autobots, keeping a tab on them. Talk to her and I'll blind you."

She sat down.

"Unnecessary, but thanks," Jayla said to Sunny.

Sunny inclined her head.

Jayla sat back and rubbed her temples.

**:Shadowdusk to Bumblebee:**

**:Shadowdusk! Is-:**

**:Yes, Bee. How's it going?:**

**:I think Megatron found out.:**

**:I have a question for you, Bee. Who offlined **_**my**_** Prime?:**

**:Uh…Megatron…:**

**:Uh-huh. And guess what? Now I have **_**more**_** a reason to kill him.:**

~:~

CYBERTRON-DURING THE WAR

"Come on," Shadowdusk told the relatively young (compared to _her_) mech behind her. "It's not far. Megatron should be gone, if the fighting's-"

"Found you," Megatron's grating voice said.

Shadowdusk stepped out, snapping a 'stay here' at the mech. She spoke in flawless Decepticon Cybertronian.

"Nice meeting you here," she told him.

"Goodbye," he told her pleasantly.

She tensed, but a blade ripped her spark in half.

A scream rent the air, and the Autobots' positions were given away.

Shadowdusk's optics found Optimus'.

And then they became dark.


	24. Chapter 24

_Happy New Year! Or…late Happy New Year? Whichever! Sorry for not updating! Last chapter was really made a month ago, but I was (still kind of am) on a Naruto kick, lol. Anyway, for those who've waited-here's the next chapter!_

_Please R&amp;R!_

_~angelslaugh_

_PS: I kinda sorta broke my computer, so I'm going to update as much as I can before it craps out on me!_

~:~

Shadowdusk dropped in the desert, the heat welcomed.

An EMP ripped through about twenty minutes after, causing a slight fizzle in radio waves. Jayla cursed in every language she could (which was _every language_) and used the sparksister bond she had with Chromelight.

_Sister, I'm sending Nightshadow to you. Nightwalker will go to the others and make sure they're all okay._

Her response was immediate.

_Yeah, yeah. Just like old times._

_Except you were actually right,_ she sent, along with the mental equivalent of a smirk. _You _are_ called 'Sunny' this time._

_No need to repeat yourself,_ Sunny replied with sourness. _It's not nice to rub it in._ Shadowdusk had the distinct impression that she was scowling.

_Just…don't get killed, okay?_ Shadowdusk requested, genuinely worried. _If you're human you might get squished._

_I won't, I have Nightshadow to protect me,_ assured Sunny. _Just kick butt and get your sparkmate back._

_I will,_ vowed Shadowdusk. She glanced around the desert and sent a message to both her sister and foremost symbiont. _I have a visual on Sam. Nightwalker, tell the others I'm going to go pick him up. He has a _lot_ of explaining to do._

A confirmation message flashed in Shadowdusk's optic, and Shadowdusk transformed into a ground-type vehicular mode that was only on Cybertron. Then, Shadowdusk transformed from that to a sleek motorcycle form, a solid hologram of Jayla on the bike. It was a big bike, able to fit three people on it comfortably, four if they were all skinny as twigs.

The Autobot symbol gleamed proudly on the front.

Shadowdusk sped off, her hologram kicking the kickstand up.

~:~

Sam and Mikaela ran towards the pillared area, Bumblebee creating a distraction for them. Then, a bike with a helmeted woman roared up. The Autobot symbol gleamed.

"Sam, Mikaela. Hop on." The visor vanished in a flurry of pixels, and Sam and Mikaela gaped at the fact _Jayla _sat on an Autobot. "And I'll speak with you," she pointed to Sam, "in a minute. Where's the Matrix?"

Sam held up the sock, and Jayla looked horrified. "You put the fragging _MATRIX OF LEADERSHIP _in your _DIRTY SOCK, SAMUEL?!" _she yelled.

"I didn't have anything else to use, except maybe one of those things we got in Egypt, but it would've blown away if I'd done anything else!" He choked out.

Jayla held up her hand. "Just get on, take the wheel. Everything will be explained when we all get out of this alive."

She faded from view.

Sam knew better than to flip when they were running on fumes.

Sam hopped on, Mikaela hopping on behind him.

"Touch anything else on me and you're dead," came Jayla's voice as the bike roared to life underneath him. "Hold on tight, I'm going to have to do some fantastic, death-defying stunts!"

Sam took her advice to heart and clenched the handles in front of him.

Mikaela hugged Sam for dear life as the bike beneath them roared past several Decepticons, skirting the one with Megatron, though her engine went nearly silent as she did that.

Megatron was busy killing a Decepticon, saying, "-my kill, fool!"

The bike skidded to a stop near Optimus' body, in the shade of several pillars.

"This is where I leave you," the bike again spoke in Jayla's voice. They got off, and the bike transformed.

Her green optics seemed to blink, and Sam saw a design on her helm he'd never seen before. Wait…he _had._ Jetfire had explained.

"_The Primes sealed the Matrix away for all eternity, until those such as the Prime Princesses could earn their way." Jetfire drew a symbol. "Only those with this symbol can wield the Matrix as it was meant to, but one can earn the right to use it."_

"_Were they born with the right?" Sam idly wondered._

"_Primus made them earn the right to be called his children, so yes," Jetfire said, sounding very amused. "However, you really should be off. Before the Decepticons find me _and_ find you," he added in an ominous tone._

Sam blinked the very recent memory away.

"Do I know you?" he asked her directly.

"Yes," came the highly-amused-sounding voice that sounded like an amused Jayla.

"…Jayla?" he asked.

"In this form I prefer 'Shadowdusk Prime', or just 'Shadowdusk', but yes. I am Jayla Lennox-slash-Witwicky. I really should get going; I'm dying to pay Megatron back." She started to step away. "I suppose I'm a lucky leprechaun…" Two metal wolves appeared and bowed their metallic snouts.

"**My lady, Megatron is on the move. We should hurry if we want Sam to survive,**" one said in a deep voice.

"_Should we intercept?_" the other said in a slightly high voice.

"No. We're going after Starscream first; I heard some…_strange_ things concerning Starscream and Megatron."

Jayla's-no, it was _Shadowdusk's_-anger seemed to exude in the air.

"**My lady-**"

"Chromelight knows what must happen, and she told me," cut in Shadowdusk. "Let's go."

Was it just his imagination, or did Shadowdusk sound pained?

And who was 'Chromelight'?

But Sam didn't care about that right then. He darted over to Will, Mikaela following him.

"I need to get to Optimus," he told them, fear building in his chest.

"You can't," Will said quietly. "There's an airstrike coming-"

"I need to get to Optimus _now!"_ Sam snarled.

"Guys, I told them to hit the orange smoke," Epps said, sounding extremely panicked.

Will slumped and looked over to the orange smoke right beside them.

"You mean _that_ orange smoke?"

"It wasn't my best shot, okay?" Epps snapped. It seemed adrenaline brought out the snappiness in some soldiers. He couldn't blame Epps.

"Coming in ten seconds," the radio blared.

"RUN!" Will shrieked.


	25. Chapter 25

_I have a feeling you guys don't like that I rarely update this._

_Well, I'm updating. A lot. And editing. A lot. Sorry for the extra-long wait, it was truly not my intention. Other story ideas came and plagued me and they forced me to write them. Anyway, back onto Egypt. Where were we? Oh, yes. I remember..._

_Enjoy this chapter!_

_~angelslaugh_

~:~

Sam ran as fast as he could towards Optimus, not caring about the orange smoke. A stray shot from Megatron's cannon from where he was shooting at Sam's running form made the adrenaline in Sam's veins explode as he ran faster than he ever had, his lungs aching and his heart beating extra fast.

As he ran, a random thought strayed to his mind. He kind of wondered what the world would think if they saw this fight happening.

~:~

Oliver Queen was just resting from one of his late nights when the television was turned on by Thea, who was interested in hearing the latest news.

"-images from a small video camera-holding drone have come in," the newscaster was saying, looking excited. "Soldiers from a secret government group called 'NEST' are currently in Egypt, facing off against an army of so-called aliens with advanced weaponry. Are we really alone in this universe?"

"Thea, really?" Oliver asked her.

Thea smirked. "I heard from one of my friends that likes the _Harry Potter _movies that even ABC is playing it. It's amazing! Look!"

Oliver suppressed a sigh, but looked.

He saw two of the metal... Aliens, he supposed, fighting with ferocity in every movement. There was a shaky zoom-in, but Oliver could tell that this was _not _a hoax. This was really happening.

"Is it playing _everywhere?" _he asked, just as it shut off.

"Guess the government really doesn't want us seeing something that's happening in Egypt," Thea said with a depressed sigh.

Oliver wondered why the red being beating up the silver being felt so familiar.

~:~

She wanted to end Megatron's existence. For tricking her, for killing Chromelight...

Shadowdusk did everything in her power to hurt him. Metal flew from his helm as she viciously pounded his face in.

He got off several shots that missed her by a _lot._ She cackled.

"I was at your mercy once!" she yelled at him in Cybertronian. "Now you are at _mine!"_

He growled and fought to get the enraged femme off of him. But it didn't work out well; instead, right as she was going for the finishing blow and about to rip his spark out, she was lifted and thrown several feet away.

She skidded on the sand, and she glared at the Fallen, who eyed her with ancient, hate-filled optics.

"You have served your purpose," he informed her. "Megatron, leave the filth here and let us steal the Matrix of Leadership."

"I shall not allow you to do that," Shadowdusk tartly informed them, fire blazing up around her, easily made because she was actually comfortable in this heat in her organic form. She was good with hot climates. "Destroying this world's sun would be akin to destroying Cybertron's."

She had two choices. Destroy the machine, or watch the planet she loved as much as Cybertron be destroyed.

It wasn't an easy choice.

"Cybertron is little more than a ruin," the Fallen informed her. "Unless you wish to use the AllSpark to reclaim it. Which, as soon as that wretched form of that Prime's is obliterated, I shall do."

Megatron looked... Well, betrayed.

"What are _you _looking at me like that for?" Shadowdusk grumbled as the Fallen passed her. She made no move to destroy him. It was Optimus that had that right as a Prime.

"You let me think that the AllSpark was destroyed."

"Did you really think I'd let it be destroyed?" she laughed at him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go help my sparkmate of a Prime."

Right as Megatron lunged, she went into her motorcycle mode and revved the engine, speeding off quickly, not particularly wanting to die by Megatron's servos.

~:~

Sam woke up. It must have been another stray blast that had killed him (briefly), so he got to visit the Thirteen Primes (Twelve, considering the Fallen wasn't a Prime and wasn't dead) and find out that by dying, even if it had been a total accident, had always been in the works for him.

He stood up on shaky legs. Mikaela was nowhere to be seen; Sam hoped that she'd gotten out okay.

Sam spotted the Matrix and grabbed it. It warmed in his hands. Stepping on Optimus (he felt uncomfortable doing this), he walked to right above the spark chamber.

He stabbed the Matrix into his spark chamber. Sam was one of the only ones to ever restart a spark, and even fewer had seen it like he was watching.

It was indescribable. It was _amazing._ Sam got off of the Prime's chest when he recalled he'd fall.

Just as the Fallen arrived, there was an almighty CRACK.

The Fallen turned to see chunks of the machine flying at him.

"NOOO!" he roared. "KILL THE PRIME PRINCESS!" He commanded.

The Decepticons abandoned their current targets, which was one heck of a mistake.

Now given a chance, the Autobots turned their weapons on the Decepticons.

Ice seemed to crystallize in the air, bringing welcome cold to the oppressive heat of the desert. A girl with genuine platinum blonde hair appeared before Sam, and the ice crystals shot at the Decepticons.

"Wow," Sam said, impressed. "Where did you learn to do that?"

She smiled hesitantly. "I'm a fan of Pokemon," she said with a slight blush. "I learned it from there."

"Pokemon's good," nodded Sam idiotically.

"My name's Elsa. Yours?" she inquired.

"Sam Witwicky."

She appeared surprised. "You're Jayla's brother? Interesting." Elsa formed an ice wall and deflected an attack. "You can use this to cool down. In five minutes the ice inside will melt so you have water. Don't drink it all at once and try to find some shade. You need to keep yourself healthy." A water bottle made of ice appeared out of nothing. "I must go fight some more."

Sam just watched as she left.

"Sam!" Mikaela appeared. "You're all right!" She hugged him. Sam hugged her back.

"Want some water?" he offered after they stopped hugging.

"You have some?" Mikaela asked with a raised brow.

"Elsa gave me this." He gave her the ice water. "Drink up."


	26. Chapter 26

Shadowdusk flipped off of the pyramid and evaded the shots. Powerful blasts came from nowhere as Shadowdusk could feel her spark seem to explode with emotion.

_He was alive! _Optimus was _alive! _Shadowdusk smiled as she shot several 'Cons; none of them had the sense to shoot any other target. She didn't mind; it would give her a workout.

She went into her motorcycle mode and sand was blown backwards as she lurched forward. She transformed when she was near _her _Prime.

"Hey, Prime," she said to him out loud as they went back to back. "Didn't I tell ya that I'm not going to die because of Megatron? Mega_stupid, _really. He is seriously dumb."

"How is this happening?" Optimus asked her.

Shadowdusk chuckled. "Because I wasn't supposed to die. Megatron killed Chromelight; that, I cannot forgive. Perhaps one day, but for now, I can't. Oh, and to see you again, spark of my spark."

Optimus vented. "It is a very good thing to see you again," he intoned. Shadowdusk melted a 'Con that was just about to shoot at her newly-revived sparkmate. "By the way, what exactly did you do?"

"Oh? That? I blew up the sun-destroyer. Energon grows on this wonderful and lush planet, Optimus!" Shadowdusk vented a bit as she shot another 'Con distractedly. "I think that if we tried, the 'Cons and the 'Bots could work it out. Share this planet with the humans." _And non-humans._ "But they would probably never go for it." The last 'Con raised his hands in the universal 'I surrender' sign. "I have some energon binds that might be useful!" she claimed, knowing she had some in her subspace. They materialized in her servos and she cuffed the last 'Con.

"Perhaps you are right," Optimus nodded. "In the meantime, though, I wish to find out what has changed since my death."

"Optimus, you've only been dead for a couple of this planet's rotations," Shadowdusk said to him.

His blue optics focused on her face.

"And in those two cycles, my sparkmate has come back to me," he said to her gently. "Two rotations... This planet always changes."

Shadowdusk nodded. "Yeah," she said with a small vent. "It does."

~:~

"The main force shall go to Jasper, Nevada, to a secret military base. The other half will be relocated to Diego Garcia, where they will remain there unless otherwise called." The human man, General Morshower, said. "Until such a time as when this incident is forgotten, or at least ignored."

"We really messed up," Shadowdusk hissed to her spark twin.

"Too late now," Chromelight said with a chuckle. "You want me to head to Diego Garcia?"

Her blue optics met Bumblebee's, who cycled air faster.

"I don't think either sparkmated pairs should be separate. It's up to you." Shadowdusk was pretty much ignoring the briefing now.

"I'll go to Diego Garcia," Chromelight nodded. "It's better than staying bored, you know?"

Shadowdusk nodded. "I'm not quite used to staying in this form quite yet," she confessed. "At least I can turn back into a human version."

"You'll be closer to your mother, and to Eliza," Chromelight mentioned.

"Mum's been bugging me about visiting,"shrugged Shadowdusk. "And yeah, visiting Eliza would be great."

"-names of the ones going to Diego Garcia are posted in the firing range. The others not listed will be going to Jasper, Nevada. You'll receive more information when it comes. Thank you for listening."

Morshower walked away, and Shadowdusk went into her alt mode, driving off.

~:~

"Optimus." Ratchet sounded displeased. "Out in the middle of nowhere? With no Cybertronian technology or -"

"Hey, Ratchet!" Conveniently, Shadowdusk burst into the infirmary. "Cobbled together a few things for a pad." She offered it to Ratchet, who stared at her for a few seconds. "Of course the scanner's not perfect and it doesn't translate into Cybertronian quite yet, but I'm still working on that. If only Que were here; that mech would be extremely helpful!" She nodded at Optimus. "Optimus. Nice seeing you! Have to say bye to a few friends!" She left the infirmary quickly.

"Perhaps we _can _create Cybertronian items," Optimus said with a hint of amusement.

Ratchet vented. "I sill believe going into the middle of nowhere is a mistake. A _mistake," _he repeated.

"I hear you, old friend. I believe that if the humans are able to remain undisturbed, then perhaps they shall cease to be reminded of that disaster in Egypt. Furthermore, we shall take the Decepticon turncoats with us to Nevada, just in case they decide to be turncoats once more. And if I know Megatron... He shall seek other means of obtaining Energon." Optimus turned back to the pad, which showed a lot of human medical terms.


	27. Part III: Spark of Unicron

One Year After Egypt

Jayla loved the sun. And the desert. She was lazier in Nevada than she had ever been, simply loving the feeling of the heat.

But, of course, she also had to keep changing into her Cybertronian form so that she could stay healthy. It was found that unless Jayla found her crystal - the crystal that focused her powers, soaked them up, she would have to keep doing that at least once a day.

Well, not soaked her __powers__ up - soaked in heat in case of an emergency.

It was useful to her.

Jasper, Nevada was a dead town. It was clear that nothing ever happened there. This would be the first time going into this sleepy town for her after about ten months living in this place.

And she was sure someone in army fatigues would be the talk of the town, but that's why she needed to go into town. To get new clothes and something to eat (not as though she could live off her powers). She'd recently run out of food that the newest liaison, Agent Fowler, sent to her and he never sent more than a hundred ration bars a month.

She had ended up ravenously devouring them all (not in one sitting), and was now using her rather high salary to buy new clothes and food.

She drove into town, her fatigues garnering her attention as she thought, and noted with a little disinterest that the school was right there next to the discount shop. Some kids were staring, but she took off her helmet anyway and walked purposefully into the store. Anyone that tried to ride her bike would be in for the nastiest shock of their life.

She bought several clothes and headed back out, seeing a crowd had formed against her bike. She put her helmet on and tapped the guy closest to her.

He took one look at her helmeted head and called to the others.

"I think we should head out, guys."

"Don't be a wimp. Who's going to -"

"Get away from my bike," Jayla said. It was in a neutral voice, but he got away anyway. She opened the subspace part under her bike and set the bags in there, then hopped on and kicked up the kickstand.

With ease familiar only to her, she made the bike roar to life and sped off with a purr.

Or a growl. Either way, it was quieter than most bikes.

Looking around in the three-stoplight town, she noticed only one fast-food restaurant that made her stomach rumble.

She went through the drive through and heard a bored voice. "Welcome to KO Burger, where every burger is a knockout. May I take your order?"

She couldn't sense any life-forms other than that one person, so she decided to get groceries after this place. "One milkshake and one of your veggie burgers." Cheapest burger on the menu.

"Coming right up, Ma'am."

She roared up to the window and handed him exact change and a ten as he handed her the bad. As he opened his mouth, she saw the second 0 and realized she'd accidentally given him a hundred. Oh, well.

"Keep the change," she said to him, then roared off. She paused for a minute and tossed it into her subspace and then got back on her bike, leaving town. "Ratchet, requesting a groundbridge."

A green swirling light appeared.

She entered it, coming out on the other side. Her bike vanished and she started walking, carrying her dinner and bags.

"Are you okay?" Ratchet asked her.

"Yeah, but I don't show up on the scanners without an escort when I use my motorcycle-me mode." Her wolves were inside her head again. Something that fascinated her. "What's wrong?" She noted Ratchet's grim look.

"Cliffjumper went offline."

Her heart seemed to stop. "W-what?" she gasped.

Ratchet nodded. "Go get some rest, you need it." While that was true, she needed rest, but she wanted to know if Arcee was okay. Alright.

Arcee and her never got along, but Jayla had lost some people with the cause of helping the Autobots. One of the reasons some of the Autobots were at Diego Garcia and the others like Optimus, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Arcee, and Cliffjumper were all stationed at Jasper. The top brass had gotten sick of the soldiers messing up other countries and sent them away to keep them low-key.

She paused outside of Arcee's door. She hesitated, then turned away. If Arcee wanted to talk, then she would talk. If not, then she wouldn't.

~:~

Jack Darby was having a relatively good day. His mother was impressed by him racking tips when he told her about the lady who had given him a hundred, he had enough to afford a bike, but he'd been out walking and thinking of the bike he was going to buy when he'd happened upon a bike running from two purple cars... And the bike had __spoken. __

"Get on!"

He got on. When a __bike __told you to get on, you __got on. __The bike roared forward.

They crashed through a guardrail, where a little kid was playing with a yellow Camaro toy car.

"Get off," the bike snapped. "I'm calling reinforcements."

A green swirly circle appeared and a bipedal green robot with red accents and dark green eyes came out. Two silver metal wolves, one with acidic green eyes prowled next to her.

Above, a yellow Camaro drove through the guardrail and shifted into a being with yellow and black painting.

"Friends of yours?" Jack yelled to the now-shifted purple-with-pink-accented robot with the same piercing blue eyes as the yellow one.

"Family," the one who had saved him said with what appeared to be a smile on her? face.

The yellow Camaro had brought two more purple ones behind him, and instantly the red one flew into action. The other two didn't speak, simply co-ordinated with each other effectively and the wolves seemed to shift into 'guard the humans' mode.

When the fight was getting rougher, one of the wolves turned to Jack.

**"******Human, you should leave,"**** the one with purple eyes said. **"******We will speak with you tomorrow."****

Jack took that as incentive enough to leave. An ominous 'we'll talk to you tomorrow' was nothing to turn your nose up at, especially if told to you by a gigantic metal wolf.

He took the kid and legged it.

~:~

Raf honestly thought that the monster fight was kind of cool. He was still surprised, though, to see the yellow Camaro sitting at the curb.

He hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"He doesn't bite." He turned to look at a vibrant redhead who slouched on the side of the school building. "I think you should get some answers, should you want some."

"How do I know your not kidnapping me?" Raf asked.

She snorted. "I'm like you, kid." He stilled. His mother had told him about his father, her, and Athena; how Athena had granted them a child with their DNA but her brains as a gift to them for showing good wisdom in their marriage. At twelve, his monster-attracting scent would get noticeable and attract monsters and get people hurt. "I got a lot of people hurt and killed when I became aware of my heritage, Raf. I can help you and you can have people around you that are like you if you want. All it takes is one Groundbridge... Though, thinking on that, only Fowler knows when he's going to share that information with the Pentagon. And he's only dangling that over our heads so much because he hates us."

Raf still hesitated. Then he spotted a cigarette in the redhead's hand, and she snapped her fingers. Like a lighter, a single flame came of of her finger. Not above it, around it. __On__ her hand. She lit the cigarette.

Raf turned and walked to the car.

~:~

Miko's day was bad. Her host parents had grounded her from going to Canada for that Slash Monkey concert, because it was 'bad music' and she 'shouldn't be associating American culture with Slash Monkey'. Miko had a __ton __of restrictions on her in America. And there was __nothing to do __in this town. Nothing exciting.

So when she saw the bike moving on its own, she knew she had to get the scoop. Honestly, that was the most exciting thing __ever __in Jasper.

"Our leader needs to talk to you, Jack. Make sure you're a trustworthy human." Miko peeked around the wall and gaped. A __giant robot __was standing there. A __giant robot.__

Her mouth was covered before she could say anything.

"Don't struggle, you're coming to the base to see the robots, too," an exasperated voice said. "Not like I can leave you here; you've already seen too much."

Miko was shoved toward a bike and she got on with a tremble in her body.

No, she wasn't scared. She was __excited.__


	28. Chapter 28

Jayla drove the third human into the base.

"Don't you know?" Arcee was saying. "Humans multiply."

Jayla kept her comment to herself. Arcee already didn't like her, no need to anger her more.

"Wow," the Asian girl said, looking around.

"You like?" Jayla asked hopefully.

The girl nodded... Then yelped as she realized Jayla was where the bike used to be. "You can turn into humans?!"

"No, that's just her," Arcee said, this time just blandly.

Jayla blinked. No hostility. Wow, that was new.

"Well, me and a few others," she corrected quietly. "But we're not going to get into that right now." She spotted Optimus.

Despite the fact that they were sparkmates, Optimus and Jayla had not spent much time together. The issue was Jayla had no idea how to bring her sides together completely - when she was human, she was __Jayla, __and when she was a Cybertronian, she was __Shadowdusk.__ That's just how it was.

And he was being really nice about her keeping her distance. As a species, the Cybertronians were not strictly monogamous, but they did have a tendency to die whenever their sparkmate was killed, so usually they only stuck with one sparkmate. It was easier on them, and it really made everyone else think that Cybertronians were monogamous.

In other words, he was being really tolerant about keeping his own distance from her. Of course they'd greet each other with warmth, but neither Jayla nor Optimus had any idea on how to react with each other around.

"Hey, Optimus!" she waved cheerfully.

"Jayla," he nodded to her. "Who are the humans?"

"Um, I think that's Miko, Jack, and Rafael. I looked it up on the database." Jayla pointed to each human individually, so that Optimus knew which one she was talking about.

Optimus nodded. "We are Autonomous Robotic Organisms from the planet Cybertron," he said in that deep voice of his.

Jayla couldn't help tossing in a comment. "But you can call us Autobots for short."

"You don't qualify," Ratchet scowled. "You're a Prime Princess."

Jayla smiled.

"Otherwise known as an alien, but technically not," she shrugged at the others. "My duties entail nothing important."

"She is one of the keepers of our species," Optimus said. "One of the few who knew how the war would end, should they actively had gotten involved."

"We got involved, the planet was abandoned," Jayla said for Miko's benefit (she looked a little - no, scratch that. She looked HIGHLY lost.). Miko blinked, but then smiled.

"So what did you do?" Miko looked at Jayla. "Girl power, right? You came down on this planet?"

"I kinda died first, but yeah," Jayla answered with a beam, sitting on a chair. "I was born both on Cybertron and here. My parents are kind of freaked out, so we don't talk a huge amount," Jayla admitted.

"Speaking of parents," Optimus said, turning his attention towards Jayla. "Your daughter wants you to visit."

Jayla sighed, head drooping a little. "Alright, I'll text Mom in a little while."

Arcee chuckled a bit at Miko's shocked look.

"Jayla has a habit of picking up strays. Eliza was originally from India, but her mother gave her to Jayla here because Jayla has a mothering personality."

Jayla stopped texting and stared at Arcee.

__Why in the name of Primus was Arcee so complimentary to her?__

She refocused her attention on the text when Arcee caught her staring. "Hey, Miko. I know you like it here and all, but I think coming here every afternoon is going to be a bit of a hassle. Wanna ditch school with me to visit my adopted daughter?"

Mostly on a whim, she found herself wondering if Miko would indeed say 'yes' to ditching school and going on a drive to some other Nevada town with a random stranger.

"Where to?" Miko asked, clearly interested.

"Tranquility, Nevada," Jayla responded quickly.

"Sure. As long as I don't ditch too many more days of school," Miko answered. "When are we going?"

Jayla sent her text, and five minutes later her cell buzzed.

"In two days," she answered. "Hey, Ratchet. Need help with any -"

"No," the grumpy medic replied. "I'm just about done with fixing the bugs on the system - it's not like Cybertronian technology."

"I'm good with Earth AND Cybertronian tech," Jayla answered with a sigh.

"Would you like to go with me to seek Cliffjumper?" Optimus asked.

There was an awkward silence.

Jayla slowly looked at her sparkmate.

"Um, are you sure you don't want Arcee or someone else to help you? They can track his remains better than I," Jayla said quietly. She couldn't exactly pinpoint the exact location of Cliffjumper's remains.

They'd been able to track a couple of remains of older Autobots and Decepticons because Energon had been planted around them.

Besides, if Jayla was out scouting, who would watch the humans?

"Who will watch the humans?"

"Ratchet. Please, watch the human children. And be nice," Optimus said with amusement in his voice.

Ratchet vented. "With all due respect, Optimus, one mistake and the humans go __squish. __ One human was enough, and at least she's one of us."

Jayla sighed.

"Then I suppose, for now, we must watch where we step," Optimus advised, transforming and opening his cab door.

This was surprisingly pushy of Optimus...

Jayla got in the truck.

~:~

"Optimus." His human sparkmate's voice was quiet. "What did you really want to talk about?"

Optimus nearly vented, but refrained. Both of them had been giving the other space, and it was rare that a not-awkward moment appeared between them.

"I think we need to speak about how you came into your memories." Optimus could feel his human's heartbeat starting to race. "I believe the bond almost completely disappeared when you died. How can you be alive?"

"I'm alive because Primus willed it," Jayla softly said. "This was meant to happen. I'm here today because I have Primus as my dad. No matter what genetics say."

"This means that you could be swayed by darkness as well," Optimus warned her.

"I know," Jayla replied softly. "But I haven't even __met __Unicron. I highly doubt that just because I don't yet have my crystal I'm going to be meeting Unicron."

__Yes. In this species, there is certainly more than meets the optics - in her case, eyes.__

"I believe that we should get reacquainted with each other. What does your species do to do that?"

Jayla chuckled.


	29. Chapter 29

"I have no idea what 'fun' is when putting a giant metal alien into the same category as a human going on a date. Obviously, he's not one for aesthetics, as he really never seems to notice what you wear, and he's not human... So I don't know, Jayla." Sunny threw a ball at the ceiling of her room. "It's not something I have had to deal with."

"So you're not rekindling the flames of love with Bumblebee?" Jayla asked teasingly.

"He's always on missions. Like Optimus before you all left," Sunny grumbled. "He takes his duties serious. I'm usually on prisoner duty."

"Ah, I see. Any bad news?"

"Nope. Well, not concerning them. We do have a small problem - nothing major, just... Do you know a Meda by any chance?"

Jayla went quiet on the other end.

"Yes. I do. How bad was the call?"

"...She threatened to do a lot. I'm not sure you should be friends with her."

"Eh, she has a dominating personality. Charming, when it comes to her not threatening bodily harm, but not so much when she __does __threaten bodily harm." Jayla sighed. "So who should I call to get advice?"

"I don't think anyone has this kind of experience. Maybe you should ask that rich guy's girlfriend." Sunny's door opened, and Elsa stood there. "Have to go, I have to go give the prisoners some food. And maybe bribe them into playing a game of poker with me."

"Yeah, okay. Text you later."

Sunny wished her sister luck, then hung up.

"Barricade said he wants to play Go Fish," Elsa said to Sunny.

__I should never have taught him how to play,__ Sunny thought to herself, dismayed.

~:~

Oliver Queen was doing normal vigilante stuff, AKA fighting hand-to-hand with people the normal police couldn't handle, when his phone trilled. Unexpectedly, all of them instantly stopped fighting and checked their cell phones.

Oliver took out his.

"Mind if I take this call?" he asked politely.

"No, go right ahead," one of the flunkies said, stopping the others from attacking. It was apparently an honor thing.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's Jayla. The NEST chick you met? Sorry for calling you out of nowhere." Oliver blinked.

"Oh, yeah, I remember you. You told Felicity that I liked her. As in wanted to date her."

"Er, yeah, about that... Can I speak to her, or are you busy right now?"

"Kind of busy. How about I give you her number?"

"That'd be fantastic, thanks."

He read off his girlfriend's number, then hung up. He held up a finger.

"Mind if I send a quick text? Honest, I'd like to let my girlfriend know that a person we met at a dance is going to call her," Oliver said in a politely questioning tone.

"Text her. Then fight us."

He sent Felicity the text of Jayla's name and number and that Jayla was going to call her.

"Okay, I'm done," he said, slipping his phone into his pocket. "Resume fight?"

The man nodded, and at once, all politeness was gone as they resumed the fight.

~:~

Felicity hummed to herself just as her phone buzzed. She opened it, saw the name, number, and the fact that she was going to be called by a woman she'd met once.

Ah, well, Felicity needed more friends.

She answered the phone.

~:~

"Thanks, Felicity! It was great getting to know you more," Jayla said with a small smile on her face, exiting her room with nice(er) clothes on. Optimus wasn't there, which wasn't surprising. "Thanks for the advice! Call me if you need help with anything major. I'll do my best to help out!"

Her computer dinged as she hung her phone up, and she got really bad vibes from it. So bad she was tempted to peek over -

"Jayla!" Ratchet's voice was heard through the hall. "Optimus left to get more Energon. It's highly unlikely you'll be going on your... Date... Later."

Jayla didn't let her disappointment show. "Ah, it's fine. Thanks for telling me!"

He didn't respond, so he was either ignoring her or didn't care.

Either way, she went back into her room and clicked on the email.

__Dearest Friend Jayla,__

__STOP IGNORING MY DANG CALLS, GIRL! OTHERWISE I'M GOING TO PLANT A TROJAN VIRUS ON YOUR COMPUTER! NOW CALL ME! NOW! AS SOON AS YOU FINISH READING THIS! CALL THIS NUMBER: XXX-XXX-XXXX!__

__As always, lovely speaking with you.__

__Meda__

Jayla swallowed nervously. Terrifying friend now or later?

...She had to call.

She opened her cell phone and dialed the number.

"Hello?" the other voice on the other end said.

"Hi, Meda. It's Jayla."

"Five hundred calls and twenty-four threats. You move slow."

"It's been a while since we talked."

"I'll say." Meda paused.

"So, what's up with you?"

"Not much. You?"

"Just saving the world. Nothing big. Much different from my last gig of destroying it." Jayla sat down in her swivel chair.

"I think that's something quite big." There was a comfortable silence. "Jayla, I need to tell you something. I'm kind of involved with the Avengers."

"Oh? With ALL of them? Man, I knew you raked the guys in-"

"Jayla. Tony Stark is my uncle." Meda took a shaky breath. "I'm in Scandinavia right now."

"You're running," Jayla found herself saying. She'd known Meda for a LONG time.

"Yeah, I am, I guess," Meda replied with a strained chuckle. "I'm trying to do some good before I go back to the Avengers. You going to any of the weddings?"

"Nah, I wasn't invited to any but Percy's and Annabeth's, and if I go, it's going to get complicated." Jayla knew she was being selfish, but she also knew Meda understood. If there was one thing Jayla preferred, it was as little complications as possible. Complications were unneeded and yet unavoidable.

"I see." A friendly pause. "I think we should get off the phone. Both of our friends that are paying for the charges on our phones might not be too happy to see us on a longer than ten minute call."

"I bet the charges are astronomical from a single minute call across the ocean," Jayla pointed out.

"Yeah." Meda was abnormally quiet.

"Are you okay?"

"No, but I'm getting better." Meda responded flatly. "You?"

"I think I'm getting better."

"That's good." Meda sighed. "Goodbye, Jayla. I'll talk to you later."

"Goodbye, Meda. Talk to you later." Jayla hung up.

She had a feeling Meda would need her soon, and she planned to be there for her.


	30. Chapter 30

"Humans," Jayla nodded to the other humans as Ratchet powered up the groundbridge to take her to her spark-twin. As she stepped through, something sparked and the bridge seemed to waver.

She found herself on her human form, falling through literal darkness; whatever happened must have destabilized the entire groundbridge.

She hummed to herself; she wasn't falling fast, just moderately.

She took out a cigarette. Bad habit, don't do it at home, but she lit it and started to smoke it.

Not even the gray smoke filtered through the black air.

~:~

Ratchet swore in Cybertronian as bugs and viruses appeared on the system.

Raf looked alarmed as the system sparked and died, the groundbridge fading from view.

"Is that good?"

Especially since Jayla had been in there?

Ratchet turned, his optics widening.

"Oh, Primus."

There was no way to tell _where in the universe _Jayla had landed.

~:~

Jayla decided it was a dark pocket of space. There was no land, enough air... Okay, she didn't know.

But when she finally was set on something, it was like normal gravity returned. Jayla's ears popped, her eyes adjusted, and she was staring into a darkened optic.

"Weird," she said simply. She waited for about a minute and a half, then flicked on some of her fire.

As though that were the catalyst, the optic blazed to life, its purple luminescence nearly blinding the demigod.

Her breath caught in her throat; a bolt of purple light lashed out.

Jayla fell off the metal support, purple energy flowing over her.

Her head hit metal, and she blacked out.

~:~

**Who are you?**

Awareness slammed into Jayla all at once, causing her to groan in pain.

**I will ask you again, who are you, fleshling?**

"Jayla," Jayla replied, sitting up after a moment. "Jayla Witwicky, daughter of Hephaestus, mortal and Cybertronian. Who are _you?"_

**I am the all-powerful Unicron!**

"No you're not," Jayla replied, not thinking straight. "I mean, you _could _be Unicron, but you're not all-powerful, or Primus and his Primes wouldn't have been able to defeat you."

She felt herself slammed down onto the ground.

**True, but you didn't need to say that. :(**

Jayla frowned. "Did you just... Did you just project an emoji into my mind?"

**Mortals. **

The pressure lifted. Jayla opened her eyes. A young woman with purple hair stared at her, practically an exact copy of Jayla.

Except, you know, with purple hair.

The woman stared at her with calculating eyes.

**"Mortals," **the woman said again, a double intonation in her voice. **"I have generously allowed you to roam over me. It's disgusting."**

Jayla cast her memory back. "You're the core," she said, old memories surfacing. "The Primes cast you out for a reason."

**"I am - was - evil incarnate."**

"Did that change?" Jayla asked innocently.

The woman stared at her. **"Mortals have more courage and willpower than I imagined. Their hearts change, they make choices based on whims." **Her form glowed, black hair covering most of her head, leaving a few streaks of purple to show. **"What do I look like to you?"**

Jayla blinked. "Uh... Like a teenage girl."

**"So, a mortal human... Yes. I shall stretch my power."**

Jayla wondered what was going on. She really didn't know anymore.

Suddenly, the being's eyes were on her again.

**"You say you're Cybertronian?" **the being questioned.

"Yes - a daughter of Primus." Understanding flickered through the alien optics, optics that looked so strange in a human face.

**"So ****_you _****awakened me. ****_You _****should choose my human name."**

_This being was crazy!_

But then, this kind of reminded Jayla of her mother's sister, Alicia. Alicia had died a few years ago, but she was fun and did stupid stuff.

Like cliff diving at fifty.

Alicia had died of a heart attack right after that. She was the fun, crazy aunt you _wanted _to show up at your high school graduation.

"Uh... Alice?"

The humanoid version of the center of the earth, Primus' deadly other half, tilted her head and hummed. It wasn't a good hum.

**"I like it," **the newly-dubbed 'Alice' said. **"I can't leave yet, though."** She looked a bit disappointed.

"Why not?" Jayla asked, inwardly relieved.

**"Because I can't," **'Alice' said moodily. **"Your dear ****_father _****made certain that restrictions were placed upon me. This is but a small piece of my consciousness; soon I shall rise fully -"**

"Aunt Alice?" Jayla hadn't meant for the 'aunt' part to come out.

Alice looked at her again. **"What?"**

"Er. Well. You stretching would destroy our planet? We kind of need you to live and stuff," Jayla explained oh-so-eloquently. "And your form would be rendered obsolete."

For a long, long moment Unicron - _Alice - _said nothing. Nor did she move.

Jayla's eyes caught green light.

Alice frowned and began to turn. Jayla summoned her flames, shooting them at Alice before igniting her feet and rocketing upwards.

There was a pop and the same feeling of utter darkness came upon Jayla again; Jayla continued pouring flame into her feet as she entered the groundbridge.

She flew out and fell onto the ground, her knees harshly scraping the ground as she landed hard on the dirt road of the missile silo.

There was an awkward pause. Jayla looked up to see the groundbridge still on and quickly transformed, shutting it off.

"Never," she said, "am I ever using that thing again."

The Prime Princess walked off, barely glancing at Optimus.

~:~

"I'm _bored," _she told Ratchet the next morning while on the couch in her human form.

He barely looked at her, busy with his job. "Well, you can survive for now." There was another few moments of silence, and a green proximity alert started to ring.

"My day just got worse," Jayla said with a sigh.

"At least the children aren't here. He gets an attitude with just _you,"_ Ratchet pointed out.

"I'm something he doesn't understand, Ratchet," Jayla pointed out. "More than that..." She hesitated. "Doesn't matter," she said. "I'm going to pretend to be asleep."


End file.
